Shawn's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

When I was three years old, I always bumped into things. I couldn’t see the pillar at church that held the roof up and after church I ran into it. It was hard to catch a ball sometimes I felt like it was being thrown at my head. I spent years seeing specialists and using patching and eye drops without getting any better. I felt frustrated.

After Vision Therapy:

My goal was to be able to see people’s eyes even with my right eye shut, and now I am starting to. One night at church I told my grandma that I was going to keep my right eye covered and I could still read the words to the songs. I don’t bump into things as much. Now I can catch a ball sometimes and I like playing football in the backyard.

~Shawn S.

Benton's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Benton was patching his stronger eye to try to strengthen his weaker eye. While wearing the patch, he had headaches, was unable to read, and even had difficulty trying to watch a tv show. There was very little that he could do with his left eye.

After Vision Therapy:

Both of Benton’s eyes became stronger as evidenced by a change in his prescription. He has learned how to make his eyes work together more often rather than having his right eye do all of the work. Even when patching, he can watch tv and read text with his left/weaker eye with without headaches.

~Michelle Nelson

Crosby's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Anything that would involve reading was painful and difficult. Crosby usually ended up crying and refusing to continue. He was behind in school and showed no interest in anything with school.

After Vision Therapy:

Crosby’s reading is completely different. He is able to sit and read books as well as read signs and words while in public. He said that math is easier because he only sees one of everything instead of doubles. His handwriting is clear and he does his homework with much less complaining. Life is much easier for all of us now!

 Also, he doesn’t get carsick as much!

~Amy Emerick

Dominick's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

He had difficulty reading and maintaining focus. He was always working harder to get out of doing work than doing the work.

After Vision Therapy:

He has much better accuracy with his sports, reading, and school work. He slows down, sits correct, and gives it his all. Watching his eyes, they mover very smooth compared to before. We are thankful for the opportunity to complete vision therapy.

~Brittney Lengkeek

Burke's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

At the beginning I was pretty nervous. In the beginning vision therapy was also hard. My words used to be jumpy and dance all over the place. The letters used to be blurry and I had a hard time seeing the hidden stuff (3D).

After Vision Therapy:

Now I am not nervous at all, and vision therapy became easy. Today my letters and words are completely still. Now the 3D images just pop out! Ms. Alyssa and Miss. Jordan are both very nice too.

~Burke

Before Vision Therapy:

When we first discovered that Burke had vision struggles, I had a lot of “mom guilt” that I hadn’t noticed it sooner. I had a pit in my stomach on our way to our first vision therapy session with Ms. Alyssa when he described how his words and letters danced on the page. He really lacked confidence in reading, hand-eye coordination activities like riding bikes close to objects, baseball, football, or even arts and crafts (making necklaces etc.) He even struggled to catch large objects like a basketball, and tripped a lot on the playground.

After Vision Therapy:

Fast forward 6+ months and Burke is an entirely different child. His confidence has shot through the roof in sports because he can actually track the ball while its moving. I have caught myself (more than once) tearing up as I watch him ride his bike with his buddies at our camper. (Something he wouldn’t even consider last fall, even though he knew how to ride.) He is currently reading the Magic Tree House series (beyond his grade level) and prior to eye therapy couldn’t consistently read simple sight words. I did not realize how much “at home” work we had to do in the beginning, but it was 100% worth it to see the growth in our son. We can’t speak highly enough about the Dakota Vision Therapy team, Dr. Oakland, Ms. Alyssa, and Miss Jordan. We would re-invest in this program again without any hesitation.

~Sarah VanLaecken

River's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

It was hard to see the whiteboard and I would see two of everything. I would get frustrated at school and would meltdown. Tests were hard and I never finished on time. I would have to redo the tests often. The drawings on the whiteboard looked weird and I would say “I can’t” a lot at school.

After Vision Therapy:

Drawings on the whiteboard look normal now, and I understand it a lot better. Tests are a little bit easier and I’m able to finish them. It’s a lot easier for me to catch footballs and write stories.

~River

Before Vision Therapy:

Reading with River was very difficult and always resulted in a meltdown. I felt like we were never getting anywhere. He would come home from school with a headache every day and his teacher was reaching out to us because he was having meltdowns in the classroom. I didn’t even know what was wrong or how to help him. Our initial meeting with Dr. Oakland was so telling; he knew how to ask the right questions and we discovered River had double vision.

After Vision Therapy:

River’s reading is much improved. He is actually understanding the stories he reads and is able to follow the lines without skipping them. He is a happier kid all around. He even writes his name is cursive. It’s amazing to see how far he has come. He is willing to try new things and is not struggling at school.

~Janelle Vandegriend

Cormac's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Cormac has always been a bright, thoughtful kid. His first-grade teacher was amazed by his understanding of the concepts they were learning and how he could connect things together. But as first grade went on, he continued to fall behind in reading. Having an older child with a later diagnosis of dyslexia, I wanted to be as proactive as possible with Cormac. Our amazing eye doctor referred us to Dr. Oakland when we were told we would have to wait until second grade to test for dyslexia. Cormac has worn glasses and eye patches since he was three to help correct a lazy eye. But it wasn’t until our initial visit with Dr. Oakland that I fully understood what Cormac had been dealing with. I left that appointment with a much better understanding and hope. So many of Cormac’s behaviors made sense after meeting with Dr. Oakland. Cormac hated playing sports, really anything that involved a ball he would shy away from. He would skip lines and miss words when reading. Dr. Oakland explained a lot to us at the initial appointment but essentially because of the lazy eye Cormac is lacking depth perception, which explained his aversion to sports. It also caused blind spots in his reading that make words disappear and made it hard to follow one line to the next.

After Vision Therapy:

Cormac is a completely different child from when we started vision therapy. I have been amazed every week watching his progress and seeing his improvements. He no longer avoids sports and has even asked if he can take golf lessons, something he wouldn’t have ever asked to do before coming to Dakota Vision Therapy. Cormac started vision therapy at the beginning of his second-grade year. At that time, he was essentially a year and a half behind on his reading. By the end of the school year Cormac increased his reading and math scores by 130%!!!! More important than his grades though are his confidence and happiness. He is so proud of what he has been able to accomplish and loves telling people about his journey. He no longer feels ashamed that he couldn’t keep up with his peers. Now he understands why things were more difficult for him and Dakota Vision Therapy has given him the ability to overcome them! The excitement he has when he is finally able to master an exercise that he has been struggling with is contagious and he can’t wait to be able to show Alyssa. Cormac also learned an important lesson in perseverance working with Dakota Vision Therapy. He saw real changes in himself every week and he was motivated (most of the time) to work hard to achieve even more. You are simply amazing and I can not thank you enough for everything you have done for my son.

~Katie Gillespie

Ainsley's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

My eyes would not work together. One would always drift out. I would never read, because it would make my eyes tired, and I would forget what I read so easily. My eyes would get tired which would lead to headaches, itchiness, and sore eyes.

After Vision Therapy:

My eyes finally worked together and realized what they needed. My eye doesn’t drift out anymore and they aren’t sore, itchy, or get as tired anymore. I now enjoy reading knowing that I won’t forget anything.

~Ainsley

Before Vision Therapy:

Ainsley didn’t like to read herself, she preferred to be read to, and would have trouble keeping her place. When Ainsley was tired, her eye would drift, noticeably to others. This often caused headaches and sore, itchy eyes. Ainsley had trouble playing catch, she would often be too slow or had trouble judging distance.

After Vison Therapy:

Now Ainsley loves to read, to herself and to others! She can keep her place and hold the book at an appropriate distance from her face. We no longer notice Ainsley’s eyes drifting unless she is very tired and we are looking for it. Ainsley has not complained of headaches for weeks! Ainsley has even been playing basketball with her brothers more often.

~Katie Weatherill

Zac's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

I was struggling in school. It was hard to read and I couldn’t pay attention. Many of the questions needed to be read and I couldn’t understand them so I had to ask for help from my teacher. This frustrated me because I felt like my friends didn’t think I was as smart as them.

After Vision Therapy:

Now, I can read without asking for the teacher for help as much as before vision therapy. I am confident that my classmates think I am as smart as they are. I enjoy school more than I did before vision therapy. I smile more because my friends don’t exclude me.

~Zac H.

Haddie’s Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

I couldn’t read hardly at all, and my hand writing was really bad because it went up and down, and I didn’t know that I was writing like that.

After Vision Therapy:

I could read really fast, almost how I used to read when I wasn’t dizzy. And my hand writing is really nice to me. And I personally think that my hand writing is better now than when I wasn’t dizzy.

~Haddie

Before Vision Therapy:

We went to countless doctors and other professions to find relief for Haddie. She was dizzy all of the time, had head pressure, could not read fluently like she used to. She was not able to write in a straight line, was seeing double and had headaches.

After Vision Therapy:

Haddie’s writing improved quickly, along with her reading fluency. Eventually her double vision went away and her head pressure subsided. Her dizziness has slowed greatly to a point that it is manageable. Haddie was very motivated to do all her exercises and now she won’t put a book down.

~Beth and Brent Driesen

Garrett's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Garrett had many struggles in school, with sports/games, and also a weak eye. He would shy away from participating in the classroom and had no interest in playing games/sports with peers. We’ve been trying to manage his weak eye with his local eye doctor and glasses; and although she did everything she could do, he still needed extra help building strength in his eye. Garrett was also very clumsy and seemed to always be getting hurt.

After Vision Therapy:

Garrett seems like a different kid with is peers! He has so much more confidence and coordination. He actually wants to participate in group activities and asks friends or his brother to play football, baseball, or golf. He enjoys sports now! We’ve noticed riding bike or scooter is no longer difficult for him. He still has his struggles in school, which is now confirmed as a diagnosed learning disability; but he has gained so much strength in his weak eye and so much confidence, it carries over into his academics and he’s not afraid to keep trying and keep working hard. He definitely has an “I can” attitude now!

~Amanda Hulstein

Colter's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Before we started vision therapy, Colter struggled with his reading and his grades started to fall. I worried he would fall behind in school. His confidence was also low, frequently saying “I can’t” before he would even try. He also struggled with headaches in the evenings.

After Vision Therapy:

Colter has benefitted so much from vision therapy! His reading and grades have improved. He was on the “A” honor roll this last quarter! His confidence is improving as well. His headaches that he had in the evenings have pretty much disappeared. I’m so impressed with everything he has learned through vision therapy.

~Sarah Williamson

Claire's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

It was hard to read. The letters moved around. Every time I looked at words, it went blurry. My eyes felt tired and hurt a lot. It was hard to play games because it always looked like the ball was going to the right side. I used to skip words when I would read because I didn’t see them. When I would first wake up, my mom and dad would look like that had four eyes instead of two. When I looked at someone for a long time they would double too.

After Vision Therapy:

It is easier to see! Now my eyes see two eyes on my mom and dad. Now the letters on the page do not move. Reading is way easier because it does not blur. Sometimes I still skip words by accident but it happens way less. Now catching a ball is easy because I see one ball instead of two. I love working with Ms. Sue, she is the best teacher I have ever seen.

~ Claire E.

Before Vision Therapy:

Claire, as a preschooler, was a bright little girl who learned her letters and numbers without issue. She was always most interested in art and imaginative play, having no interest in anything involving a ball. Her running was clumsy and she would often bump into things. Claire failed to progress in school. Despite a lifetime exposure to books, Claire struggled to read. She was frustrated and fought practicing. She could read isolated words but could not identify the same word within a sentence. She was exhausted at the end of school every day and would tell me her eyes hurt. Even with extra help at school and practice at home, her reading abilities were not progressing. Then, vision therapy changed everything.

After Vision Therapy:

I often wonder, what if? What if we had never discovered Claire’s eye issues? I believe vision therapy has changed the course of Claire’s life. While she still prefers art and creativity, she has opened up to exploring new interests – soccer & golf. She likes playing catch because now she can see and track the ball. Her gross motor skills are much smoother. Reading has become a joy. She loves to read now. I often find her snuggled up with a story. Her reading abilities have dramatically improved. I love the pride and confidence I hear in her voice when she reads out loud. Her eyes no longer hurt at the end of the day and she has energy to play. Vision therapy taught Claire how to control her eyes but it also taught her that hard work and determination pays dividends. It was so worth it.

~ Stephanie M. Wubben

Cohen's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Handwriting was difficult. My mom and teacher had a hard time reading what I wrote. I didn’t want to do my homework and avoided reading. I often said “I can’t do this” before even trying. I had a difficult time playing sports. I wanted to catch balls thrown to me, but missed them or dropped them. At the end of the day, I often had headaches, which made doing homework very hard.

After Vision Therapy:

My handwriting has improved and I can write in a straight line. My mom and teacher no longer ask me to erase and rewrite. I don’t mind doing my homework and I no longer have headaches at the end of the day. I still avoid reading, only because I’d rather be outside playing football! Miss Sue taught me that I can do hard things if I try and she is the best therapist in the world! She made therapy fun and I tried hard in my therapy at home because I knew Miss Sue would be proud of me.

~ Cohen

Javen's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Javen had trouble reading. Often, he skipped words and lines when reading. Javen also had trouble with his hand eye coordination which often frustrated him when playing sports.

After Vision Therapy:

Since starting therapy and now completing it, he very seldom skips words when reading. His hand eye coordination has massively improved. He used to have a lot of trouble just catching a ball and now catches with a lot more accuracy. He can also now judge distance better and has depth perception.

~ Kami Aalberg

Will's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

I had a hard time keeping my left eye straight and sometimes words got smashed together. I also play a sport called lacrosse and I couldn’t track the ball well.

After Vision Therapy:

I can control my eye WAY better and words never get smashed together. I am having a way better time tracking the ball in lacrosse.

~ Will

Brielle's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

I had trouble reading at the end of the day. My eyes were tired and I had trouble focusing.

After Vision Therapy:

I can focus better when I read. I can also see words on a paper more clearly.

~Brielle

Before Vision Therapy:

Brielle was insecure about her reading abilities and would push away at the thought of reading after a long day of school. She seemed to struggle focusing and rubbed her eyes all the time. Staying on task with simple commands was hard.

After Vision Therapy:

Brielle has started the process of gaining confidence, knowing what her eyes are capable of. Before she would guess at the words, now she is processing and thinking harder about using her eye coordination to help her.

~Heidi VanRoekel

Finley's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Finley struggled with learning to read in first grade. She wrote many letters and numbers backwards and in the wrong order. Her teacher shared her concerns at the fall parent teacher conference, telling us that she had not had a student with so many reversals in her 30 years of teaching. She along with AEA, suggested dyslexia testing. There we learned it was most likely an eye teaming issue and she was referred to Dr. Oakland.

After Vision Therapy:

The improvement Finley has made is just incredible. The exercises taught her how to use her eyes together and the focus on internalizing left vs right had made a huge impact. She is now going into second grade able to read, comprehend, and almost reading at the appropriate speed. More importantly, she doesn’t get frustrated and she actually enjoys reading! The work Alyssa has done with her has made such a difference, and we will miss her!

~Mellany Risdal

Emery's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

I could not see the back board clearly and didn’t enjoy reading because words would converge or slide off the page. I had double vision that would give me headaches. I couldn’t keep up with homework, and had a hard time understanding what I was learning.

After Vision Therapy:

I can write off the back board with ease and I love reading! I go to the library a lot!!! The headaches grew smaller and I caught up on all my homework. My double vision stopped and I enjoy doing things with my family. Thank you vision therapy!!!!

~Emery

Before Vision Therapy:

Emery struggled with double vision, seeing the board at school and would get frustrated easily. She avoided reading and any activities that would make these issues appear. She would get upset and loose her confidence because of it.

After Vision Therapy:

Emer reads and plays without worrying so much. She’s a different kid now and its be amazing to watch. She is confident and far less frustrated by reading and seeing things. Vision therapy has been life changing for Emery. We are thankful.

~Whitney Reed

Makena's Success Story

Before Vision Therapy:

Before Vision Therapy I had an eye that went crooked and I had to wear glasses for a very long time. I could not keep my eye on the ball in basketball. I also disliked reading; it was very hard to read with foggy glasses. Reading was my least favorite subject in school. I also had very bad handwriting.

After Vision Therapy:

After, my eye is straight and it is not crooked and I don’t wear glasses anymore. I can keep my eye on the ball and I don’t get foggy glasses when I read anymore. I made lots of baskets in basketball and I love reading now. Its one of my favorite subjects in school.

P.S.-GO SUE!!!

~Makena

Before Vision Therapy:

We knew Makena had a “lazy eye” but we didn’t realize how bad her vision was until we had our vision therapy consultation with Dr. Oakland after Makena’s annual eye checkup. After Makena was diagnoses with double vision and no depth perception we reflected back and realized there were things that we didn’t realize she struggled with. Makena seemed to get frustrated with school work more often than not, especially reading. She would avoid it as much as possible or would ask us to read it to her vs. her reading it to us. In her activities such as basketball she had a hard time getting under the basket and rebounding the ball or she seemed afraid of the ball.

After Vision Therapy:

Since starting vision therapy Makena has started to really enjoy reading, we actually catch her in her room reading books on her own which is a nice surprise. Her eyes have become very strong to the point where she no longer needs to wear her glasses. Makena realizes/feels when her eye starts to turn in and she can correct it. We have seen great improvements with her basketball skills. The biggest notice for us was she isn’t afraid of the ball as much and is rebounding during her games. She has also started up new activities such as volleyball and golf since doing therapy. Every week Makena has been excited for vision therapy and to see how much she has improved. Sue and Dr. Oakland have been absolutely great from the beginning and have helped to improve our daughters life.

~Ryan and Melissa Knudson