The Optometry Center for Vision Therapy

A special place for a special boy
When we first took our son to OCVT (at Pecan Park) we were enthusiastically met by all of the staff. They offered us refreshments and treated us like we were the only ones there. We had our initial consultation and heard about the plan that they recommended for our son. My concern was that in addition to vision problems, our son has an epilepsy condition, low muscle tone (where he must use a walker and/​or wheelchair quite frequently), and a global developmental delay. Even though he was 11 years old at the beginning of his plan, he is severely delayed and on a much younger level. OCVT seemed like they had the best doctors, best staff and state of the art equipment however my concern is can they help us considering our needs were MUCH more than «just vision problems». We took a leap of faith and am so glad that we did. Our son, worked with Ms. Selena for a full year — coming in every week. Ms. Selena (and all of the office staff) had the most positive outlook and would always greet our son with a smile. Even if he was having a hard day, using his walker/​wheelchair, or simply unsteady on his feet, Ms. Selena and everyone at OCVT took such great care of him, making sure he didn’t trip on anything, etc. I know that we were not working on tasks that would be typical for an 11 year old, but they altered the assignments to meet our son’s needs and goals for HIM — not just what a book says he should be doing. Every week they would ask how our son did and how he tolerated the homework, etc. and they really listened to us. He has now just transitioned to «active maintenance» meaning we go back for a session one time per month. He has shown great achievements during his program. He visual acuity, tracking, teaming, and balance have all increased dramatically.
We truly feel like that OCVT is a one-​of-​a-​kind, special place for our special boy. We always felt that they cared about us and our son and want the best for him. I will not lie, it is expensive, but they are definitely worth it. I feel like we have to give him the most tools that we can to be successful, and I would HIGHLY recommend OCVT for ALL children that need vision therapy and services.

We go to the Westlake location and it has truly made a difference in our son’s life. He has Strabismus (lazy eye) and we did extensive research on remedies. Many medical doctors will tell you that vision therapy doesn’t work and surgery is the only method that will correct a lazy eye. We interviewed doctors and had an appt with the best Pediatric Opthamologist in Austin (with a 10 month wait). In the meantime we further researched vision therapy. Turns out that surgery only corrects the direction of the eye, but does not strengthen the vision! The eye is a muscle and can improve with exercise. There is a great TedTalk online given by a woman MD who, after years of surgeries, decided to finally give therapy a try. After months of exercises, she was finally able to achieve 3D vision for the very first time in her life.
Vision therapy does work and Dr. Larson is the most qualified optometrist in Texas. (The Neuro-​Optometric Rehabilitation Association has so far selected only 13 optometrists in the USA to receive their fellowship given for recognition of scientific knowledge and clinical abilities in Nero-​Optometric Rehabiliation. Dr. Larson is the only recipient in Texas.)
Our therapist is Sarah Pulcini and the personal care and attention that she gives to our son is exemplary. We feel as though she is part of the family and adore her. She will actually read the books that our son is reading to encourage him to read and talk to her about the story. This is her spare time that she is devoting to our son. Who does that? Our son’s eye has significantly straightened out (still turns out occasionally but he can snap it back straight when he wants) and is still improving. OCVT caters their exercises to the kid’s interests to keep them fun and help motivate. (We actually have Minecraft exercises :). The exercises not only improve the eye muscles, but they challenge the brain and encourage quick thinking. Another added bonus is that our son is better at sports now because his improved vision also results in better hand-​eye coordination. I cannot say enough good things about the progress, the excellent customer service, the personal attention and the professionalism at OCVT. The front office staff is always very encouraging and warm and friendly, and we personally appreciate their kind offers of water, tea or coffee on Saturday mornings. We all look forward to our visits there. Wonderful people there who actually care about you and your progress.

I can’t say enough about the expertise, flexibility, compassion, friendliness and commitment I experienced in the 2 years I’ve dealt with this center. Every therapist there, I felt, had the wisdom of a doctor. Our therapist, Angela A, went way above her job description spending personal time integrating therapeutic interventions, under the guidelines of the Doctors of Optometry, to maintain the interest of my 2 children. The team’s knowledge base is vast as one child required acuity, muscle retraining and depth perception assist and the other focused on reading compression, left/​right discrimination and cause and effect ratios. The office staff spent countless hours assisting with insurance reimbursement. The Doctors have credentials that you will not find elsewhere in this area. I didn’t find another doctor’s office when I walked through their door, I found a second home. Thank you OCVT for all you’ve done for my family!

Our son was diagnosed with Amblyopia — Strabismic & Estropia when he was around 3, we started going to OCVT after investigating various options. He has now been there about 4 years and has recovered almost full use of both eyes after going through their therapy sessions. The difference is amazing!
OCVT uses a wide variety of exercises to help the brain «turn on» certain functions that have been suppressed, build eye muscles and strengthen the eye-​brain coordination. The sessiosn work very well, especially if you perform all of the «bring home» exercises.
We have nothing but good things to say about the staff and the positive impact they have had on our life.
Thanks OCVT!
PS — They now offer WiFi

We came to the Bee Caves location after two years of occupational therapy. We were kind of starting to plateau, and were hoping that vision therapy might be the next piece of the puzzle to helping our son. After one year, I am happy to report that we are VERY happy with our son’s progress. His reading speed has improved, and his success at sports has improved. As a result, his confidence has increased. The therapists, doctors, and all of the staff that we have dealt with are awesome! It is a bit expensive, as our insurance won’t cover it. (We tried several times to file a claim, and for some reason, they don’t consider it «necessary».) I know that the doctor’s training is very specific, and we have been very happy with how they have helped our son.

I really don’t care for this place. It feels like I am walking into a really bad used car dealer every time I go. I think they WAY overcharge for their services– stop offering so many drinks and just lower the cost of the session. My daughters therapist is great and we are really happy with the service that we get (the only reason that we are still going) It just feels like almost everybody that works there has this fake smile and nodding their heads but really doesn’t have your best interest at heart. Can’t wait to be done with this Stepford vision therapy center.