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Through Elli’s Eyes: Oh, That’s Why!
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Through Elli’s Eyes: Oh, That’s Why!

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Traumatic Brain InjuryCommunity Outreach Manager Elli Altman started as a patient of Vision Specialists of Michigan. Now she teaches others how to identify a vision misalignment.

Having eyes that do not work together–do not coordinate; do not work as a team; are misaligned–however you want to phrase it–shows up in some of the oddest ways.

A patient may be referred to us (or make an appointment on their own) because of headaches, reading difficulty, anxiety, etc.  However, it is the process that takes place during the vision exam that begins to reveal the mystery of just how many ways the patient has actually been impacted by this vision misalignment.

What do I mean?  Well, it sounds like this…

–Oh, that’s why I always knocked over the milk bottle when I reached for it at the dinner table.

–Oh, that’s why I hate going to the mall (or any large store).

–Oh, that’s why I’m fine driving on the side streets, yet panic on the highway.

–Oh, that’s why my friends always tell me that I veer into them when we are out shopping.

–Oh, that’s why it always felt like I was walking on a swaying hammock

–Oh, that’s why I felt so uncomfortable making eye contact

–Oh, that’s why I hated gym class and recess on the playground

This list is truly endless, as each person is impacted in novel ways.  What is important to understand is that these revelations, this awareness, happens AFTER the vision exam and as a result of it.

I don’t know anyone who thinks they need to get their eyes checked because they knocked over the milk bottle, hate going to the mall, doesn’t like to drive on the highway—well, you get it.

So, if many of the clues that a person’s eyes are not working together are understood only in hindsight, how do we get needed help to people?

That’s easy.  Take 10 minutes to answer 25 questions.  That’s all.

Go to www.IsItMyEyes.com.  Complete the questionnaire with the 25 questions.

Maybe your mystery will be solved and you have your own “Oh, that’s why” list.

 

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Dr. Sandy DiPonio earned her optometry degree from Illinois College of Optometry in 1996. She is a highly skilled and experienced eye care professional dedicated to giving her patients of all ages excellent and compassionate care. She has a wide variety of experience in binocular vision, pediatric and adult eye care, ocular disease and contact lens fitting. She strives to provide each of her patients the best quality of life they can achieve with their vision through knowledge and education of treatment options.

Dr. DiPonio is a member of the American Optometric Society and Michigan Optometric Society.

Dr. Sally Hoey has been practicing optometry since graduating from Michigan College of Optometry in 2001. During her time in optometry school, she developed an interest in binocular vision, culminating in a senior thesis involving binocular vision.

Prior to joining Vision Specialists of Michigan, Dr. Hoey specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-related learning problems as well as other binocular vision disorders. Her other areas of interest include specialty contact lens fittings and treating dry eye. Dr. Hoey strives to provide her patients with clear, comfortable vision while meeting their individual needs at the same time.

Dr. Hoey had the opportunity to provide eye care on an optometric mission trip to Guyana, South America and vision screenings at a local medical clinic. She is a member of the American Optometric Association, Michigan Optometric Association, Metropolitan Detroit Optometric Society and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

Dr. Jennifer Place graduated with honors from Michigan College of Optometry in 2001.

Before joining Vision Specialists of Michigan, she specialized in treating pediatric and adult patients with binocular vision disorders and vision-related learning problems, as well as fitting specialty contact lenses and managing various types of ocular disease. She enjoys working with patients with unique visual needs, and she takes great pride in providing all patients with highly customized care.

Dr. Place has volunteered for Opening Eyes, a program that provides eye exams to the athletes of the Michigan Special Olympics, and she participated in an international mission to St. Lucia to provide eye care to those in need. Dr. Place is a member of the Detroit Optometric Society, the Michigan Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the College of Vision Development, and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation.

Dr. Mary Jo Ference has been practicing optometry since 1990 upon graduating from Ferris State University- Michigan College of Optometry, and is certified in Low Vision Rehabilitation. She has worked at Sinai-Grace Hospital systems for over 20 years before joining Vision Specialists of Michigan in 2013 to work with binocular vision disorders. Her clinical areas of expertise include visual rehabilitation of pediatric and adult patients who have suffered from brain trauma, injury or disease. She has taught both optometry and ophthalmology residents at Sinai Grace Hospital. Dr. Ference has sat on numerous boards, including Sinai Grace Hospital, Berry Out-Patient Surgical Center, and Seedlings Braille Books for the Blind. She is actively involved in area school districts to provide education, training and access for students, teachers, OT’s and PT’s to eye care service rehabilitation information. Dr. Ference has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.

Dr. Debby Feinberg began practicing Optometry in Oakland County in 1983, upon graduating from Illinois College of Optometry. She joined her father, Dr. Paul C. Feinberg, at Mall Optical Center, which was located in Summit Place Mall.

Since 1995 Dr. Feinberg has been developing the field of NeuroVisual Medicine which is the optometric subspecialty that identifies and treats neurological / medical symptoms that originate directly or indirectly in the visual system.

Dr. Feinberg has been performing pioneering work with Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), a condition where a vision misalignment (frequently subtle) creates difficulties with the two eyes working together to create a single 3-dimensional image, and difficulties with the two eyes following that image as it moves.

The symptoms caused by BVD are not usually associated with problems with the visual system, and include headache, dizziness, anxiety and panic, persistent post-concussive symptoms, gait instability and balance problems, frequent falls, neck pain, motion sickness, nausea, and reading and learning problems.

In 2004. Dr. Feinberg established Vision Specialists of Birmingham, specifically designing the practice to accommodate the needs of the NeuroVisual Medicine patient.

In 2011, the office moved to its current location in Bloomfield Hills and updated its name to Vision Specialists of Michigan.