Thank you for your recent editorial and Kristen Spina’s article on her and your son’s experience with vision therapy. This is a vital area of full scope optometry that has gotten placed on the back burner for too long. With the movement into medical treatment the value of functional vision and vision therapy is being overlooked. As you and your wife have learned from Dr. Bessler, there is more to maximum vision performance than a healthy eye and 20/20 vision. Optometrists need to take very seriously their important role in providing their patients with the visual tools to learn and to function efficiently in this highly technological society.

In a guest editorial I wrote in the February issue of the Journal of the American Optometric Association. I stressed the importance of intra-professional referral as an answer to the ongoing neglect of this important aspect of full scope optometry that is at the core of our profession and its origin as the leader in vision care. The message was simple: treat these patients or refer to a colleague who does. It’s a requirement of the professional who has a responsibility to “do no harm.”

Thank you for focusing on this area that requires reopening and reexamination.

Albert A. Bucar, O.D., D.O.S., F.A.A.O
President, Ophthalmic Education Institute
Past president, American Optometric Association



I am an optometrist practicing vision therapy. I really enjoyed reading the article “One Mom’s Story” by Kristen Spina in the July issue. It was inspiring to read and certainly would be helpful for other parents interested in vision therapy to read, as well. For this reason I am requesting permission to distribute a copy of the article in our information packets for vision therapy. If this is possible, would you have a copy you could send via email? (The one I have from the magazine has some wear and tear from passing it around.)
Ashley C. Baker, O.D.


Great vision therapy article. It’s good to hear someone so connected to the industry recommending help to benefit our loved ones. I’m sure this feature will get others to take the same path you did for Gram and get their children help in a more timely manner.
Kathy Maxwell, Fashion Optical Displays