I feel Beth is really in tune to what is going on, what my children needed, etc. She made it a good experience too– never had a complaint about coming. She also asked me good questions to better assess all of their needs and had solutions to help them improve.

Cathy, mother of Max, Nathan and Samantha

Before I began Vision Therapy I had a hard time with my eye-hand coordination and when I read I got headaches. Vision therapy helped me so much! I am a lot better at the sports I play, and now I can read all day and not get any headaches! Thank you to everyone who helped me with vision therapy.

Chloe, age 12

During 1st grade Heidi’s teacher started to notice a few things. As the school year ended her teacher suggested we contact New Horizons for a second opinion. At this point Heidi was having trouble with “b” & “d”‘s and left/right and while reading would sound words out including letters from the words around the word she was sounding out. Heidi also complained of headaches and eye soreness.

Coming to New Horizons made a huge difference in Heidi’s reading and other school work! She worked with Beth on strengthening her eye muscles to be able to focus far and near. Beth also worked with Heidi on her left and right– making it visual, physical and mental. I really like how the therapy was total body– knowing the parts all need to work together.

Heidi progressed on schedule and never complained about our weekly visits.

Amanda, mother of Heidi age 7

Thanks to vision therapy I no longer need to get the box of tissues out before we sit down to do our homework. My 10 year old would cry for 20 minutes before we would actually get any of his homework or reading started. He was so frustrated and was experiencing headaches. He was below grade level for reading, he is now at grade level where he needs to be. He no longer argues about having to sit down and read a book, and has become successful with spelling. His headaches have gone away and his mood is completely different when it comes time for homework and reading. My 13 year old daughter was very similar, headaches, frustrated, falling behind in school. She also has made leaps with vision therapy. The mood has lifted in our house when it comes time for homework and reading. She too has gone from a below average student to above average. Hands down, without a doubt, vision therapy has done great things for both of my children. Going from sadness and frustration to a child who chooses to pick up a book and wants to learn is absolutely priceless. Thank you!

Melissa, mother of Allie age 13 and Mitch age 10

I can’t say enough good things about New Horizons. Lucy was having headaches all day, almost every day, for months. We started therapy once a week and noticed a difference almost immediately. After 12 sessions, Lucy’s headaches are pretty much gone. Ashley was so informative and did so much of the insurance work for us. She made it easy for us to come to therapy. Jackie, Lucy’s therapist, was so good to Lucy. She really inspired Lucy to work hard by explaining the therapy well and by being so kind. Dr. Frazer has one of the best run offices we have experienced. We, Lucy’s siblings and myself, were particularly blessed by Dr. Frazer’s toy room and comfy chairs. We are so grateful!

Kirstin, mother of Lucy age 10

My vision while driving has greatly improved. My depth perception has been restored. I can now enjoy 3-D movies which was a wonderful experience at Disney World! I can read much better, even without eyewear at times. I think the best part is the overall vision, including distance, especially how Beth taught me to be fully aware of my surroundings, and bringing both of my eyes together.

Carol, age 63

It helped all my activities in school. I have had no headaches since I started therapy. I am doing a lot better in my sports and my attitude has changed a lot.

Annalyse, age 10

Last January, Kevin told me that I had four eyes. I know, I know- four eyes, ha ha! After thinking a moment, I probed more and found out that he was indeed seeing two of everything. I was shocked because the pediatrician’s office always said his vision was great = 20/20. However, they do not test all aspects of vision!

I took him to an ophthalmologist through our health plan, and they diagnosed him with convergence insufficiency. They recommended pencil push-ups and no vision therapy. I did not want to take a chance and wait. I had already found New Horizons Vision Therapy Center. So we went there and did syntonic light therapy in the spring, followed by additional vision therapy through October. It worked very well.

We first saw changes regarding taking physical risks. He became more of a dare devil on the playground. He literally pedaled out of the garage without training wheels one day. He lost his fear of tall slides (like at Pump It Up) and finally rode a horse on the merry-go-round.

Now, Kevin reads and writes without getting tired so fast. He is overall more attentive and coordinated. Before, he had trouble attending to his work at school, but he is having a great school year!

Brianna and Dr. Frazer were great and very patient with Kevin. The changes we saw were vital in enabling him to succeed as an elementary school student.

Jennifer, mother of Kevin age 8

Lauren complained of seeing yellow dots and blue lines on paper while she was reading when she was in the 4^th grade. We took her for a routine eye exam, thinking she needed glasses, but her eye exam showed normal vision. As time went on, the yellow dots and blue lines became her “normal” and she didn’t bring it up to us again. In 5^th grade, her scores and reading dropped a bit, we attributed it to school just getting harder.

Last year in November, her reading and math tutor noticed a possible tracking issue and said we should go see Dr. Frazer at New Horizons Vision Therapy Center. With reading still being a bit of a struggle, we decided to proceed. She did in fact have a problem that we learned thankfully, could be fixed by doing vision therapy and wearing glasses. With the wonderful help and compassion of Brianna, Lauren went to weekly appointments, and we did home eye exercises to fix her diagnosis. It was a time commitment and work on her part, but at her final eye exam in May, Dr. Frazer reported that her tracking percentile had gone up significantly and her eye exam was in normal ranges. She is now wanting to read more and this reflected on her standardized testing at school this past school year. We are so thankful we were able to find someone to help Lauren! We can’t say thank you enough!

Jennifer, mother of Lauren age 13

Second grade was a challenge for Joe. Luckily for him and us, we were suggested to look into vision therapy. One of the quickest results for Joe was his increased confidence and desire to read and to be a reader. He ended the school year at grade level for reading.

Joe fully enjoyed his one-on-one time with Alyssa, his therapist. She completely enjoyed Joe, as Joe. He could be himself (fast, impulsive, on-the-go). She worked with him where he was at. As a parent, I was relieved and grateful in finding Alyssa!

Vision therapy involved so much more than I imagined— directions (left/right), big body movement activities, focusing… it involved so much more for Joe. It was a highlight and a success in an otherwise challenging year.

Brenda, mother of Joe age 8

Thanks to vision therapy I no longer have to suffer through severe headaches at the end of each day. My convergence and depth perception used to be pretty horrible, which caused me to walk into just about everything. My parents had taken me to see 3D movies in the past but I had never been able to see the objects actually come near me; to me it just looked like any other movie. While everyone else was freaking out and ducking at things they were seeing I was just sitting there wondering what they were doing. After I completed vision therapy my parents took me to an amusement park where I went on a 3D ride. It was on this ride where I saw a 3D movie for the first time. The ride started out with someone throwing things at your head and it actually looked like they were going to hit me! So basically that ride scared the BUBBLES out of me and I closed my eyes for the rest of the ride.

In gym class we’re required to run up and down multiple staircases as a group for warm ups. This was always terrifying to me because it’s hard enough for me to walk down a flight of stairs without tripping… if I tried to run it would be a disaster. I’m now able to feel more normal among my friends because I’m not always running into things such as doorways, tables and walls. So a special thanks to Alyssa, my therapist, for making the process so enjoyable, and thank you New Horizons for helping me see the world the way it’s supposed to look.

Ashley, age 16

When we first started vision therapy Matthew was reading at a 2nd grade level, he was in 5th grade. Matthew always became sick to his stomach while reading, and developed headaches. We were told by his reading specialist that he was either 1. Not trying or 2. Manipulating us. After our very first meeting with Dr. Frazer we learned why he was developing headaches and tummy aches. His eyes were not working together.

In my mind I was hoping for a 30% improvement in his reading ability. After 10 weeks of therapy we had already passed that goal! All of this seems truly like a miracle. Today is our 30th week, Matthew is reading with ease, no headaches, no tummy aches. Now we just need to practice reading so that he can get caught up to grade level. I believe this will be accomplished within the next year. Thirty weeks ago I was not sure Matthew could ever catch up, now we are confident he will! Vision therapy has changed our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jean, mother of Matthew age 11

At the end of 3rd grade Delany was reading below grade level. When 4th grade started she was at grade level and now at first trimester she’s at end of the year 4th/beginning of 5th grade level! I was skeptical at first, but it’s made a huge difference! Alyssa was great.

Vicki, mother of Delany age 10

It helped my eyes work the way they should work. The words don’t move on the page anymore and I can read much easier. I actually like to read now!

Achilles, age 9

The biggest change for Jeremy is that he went from reading avoidance to saying he loves reading and he has to be told to stop reading. When we would make him read for 20 minutes daily, after 5 minutes he would ask if he could stop. Now after 40 minutes, he will want to keep going. He also sneaks his reading light on after bedtime. Hooray! Good problem to have!

Jeremy has shown improvement in math and does not lose his place when writing or doing factors or carrying numbers. Jeremy is more confident. He just underwent some additional testing at school so I am looking forward to seeing the results. Grades haven’t improved or very little but the subject matter has increased in complexity. Overall, we are happy we spent the time and money. We see the value and thank you.

Cathy, mother of Jeremy age 12

Midlyne has increased her coordination and, in doing so, her confidence in her physical abilities. As a result she has shown significant improvement in karate and swimming classes. She also has increased her ability to focus on tasks. This has produced better grades and a better attitude toward learning.

Helen, mother of Rebecca, age 6

Vision therapy helped me get rid of my double vision. It helped me enjoy reading more, improved my reading comprehension, and allowed me to do better at soccer. I can also play games like Battle Ship with my family now. I also take more chances when playing sports now because I only see one ball.

Rylee, age 8

Our son, Aiden, had always struggled with school work. He would skip whole words while reading, invert letters and misidentify them (even if he read them correctly in the earlier problem on the same sheet). By second grade, he was becoming increasingly frustrated when it came time to do homework and would talk about headaches and fatigue on a daily basis. We sought help but no one could identify the problem. Teachers came to us with concerns about everything from learning disorders to dyslexia, and Attention Deficit Disorders to autism. Test upon test came back negative, but everyone agreed that ‘something’ was getting in Aiden’s way.

As the demands of school work increased, our son’s confidence began to plummet. One day, when homework turned into yet another battle of stress and frustration, Aiden threw his books and began yelling, ‘My brain doesn’t work properly. When are you going to understand that? I’m just dumb.’

We doubled up our efforts, researching everything we could and speaking with anyone who would listen. Finally someone mentioned vision as a potential problem. We took Aiden to the eye doctor and left with a referral for New Horizons. Our son was found to have excessive convergence, lack of ability for both eyes to track together and issues with depth perception and peripheral vision. Dr. Frazer prescribed lenses to start. When we picked up the glasses, Aiden picked up an eye cleaner bottle from the counter and exclaimed, ‘Hey, there are words on here… and I can read them!’ He kept the glasses on and read every sign we passed on the way home. When we got home, he picked up a book and read it straight through to bedtime. A whole new world began to open up for our son. He began an intensive therapy program to strengthen the eyes and get them to start working together. After just one month of sessions, Aiden’s headaches had dissipated and homework was returning to a more manageable experience. Now, after eight months of sessions, Aiden is able to pay attention in class, is catching up in math, and has begun to excel in reading.

I’ve asked Aiden what vision therapy has done for him, he says, “I don’t have problems with words anymore, and even though I don’t like math, the numbers don’t move now. Oh, and they taught me that my eyes needed work, but I’m fine. That’s cool.” Thank you New Horizons!

Trish, mother of Aiden age 9

Before vision therapy, I was very frustrated when I read, words would change, move and mash together. It got to the point that I couldn’t do it any longer. My grades were dropping and I needed help. I was misdiagnosed with ADD and was told that I might have dyslexia… but I had a hard time believing that I had ADD. I am so glad that my mom sent me to NHVTC for help because if I wouldn’t have gone, my eyes wouldn’t be working together and I would still have an awful time reading. Vision therapy was pretty fun. The exercises and drills they had me do were challenging, but fun. I feel so much more confident with my reading and I love to read again. Vision therapy definitely helped me and I am so grateful! Thank You NHVTC for everything!

Sarah, age 15, St. Ambrose Academy

I cannot thank New Horizons enough! I was not sure what to do anymore. I did everything the teachers asked, the extra reading and tutor, but, Tyler was still not getting it. I could see he was just frustrated and wanted to give up. My sister has a son the same age with the same problems. His teacher knew of vision therapy and recommended her son to a place in LaCrosse, WI. After seeing such progress with him I started looking into it for Tyler. I am so happy I did. Now school work is not such a hassle and Tyler wants to read for fun. We now have the tools to continue working at home and keep up with the hard work Tyler put into his therapy. Thank you to all of the staff, you are AMAZING!!!

Mother of Tyler, age 8

At the start of 2nd grade reading and writing skills are required more. My daughter would do everything to avoid either of these skills. Her writing skills were all over the place with lots of misspelled words. She complained of headaches and words “jumping” on the page. She would cry and carry on when it was time to sit down to work. As a parent who wants the best for their child, I was concerned because I didn’t want her to get behind. I assumed she would probably need glasses. When seen by our primary eye doctor I was surprised to hear she had 20/20 vision. He stated that he didn’t deny the words “jumped” all over but this was not his specialty. He recommended we have a consult with New Horizons.
When we came to New Horizons we were greeted by a friendly staff and team. Dr. Frazer explained things in terms we could understand. She implemented a program that Beth, Haylee’s therapist, carried out. The “homework” we were sent home with was easy to incorporate into our daily routines. Haylee looked forward to her next session/appointment to see what kind of fun activity was going to take place. She looked at the appointments as fun – which made it easier to strengthen her eyes.

We began therapy in August. By late September, school and homework had begun again. But now there was less avoidance, fewer headaches and there was actual enjoyment in learning. Haylee became more self-confident, offering to read out loud (tracking on the page was no longer an issue) and to help classmates. She enjoys free reading and no longer gets headaches or becomes frustrated.

I highly recommend New Horizons, Dr. Frazer and the entire staff. I believe Haylee has learned a set of skills that will make a lasting investment in her future!

Deb, Haylee’s Mom, age 8

Vision therapy has made Aubrey more confident in herself. I can’t believe the change in her from when we first started. We can’t thank you enough for all your help!

Connie, Aubrey’s mom

It helps me read. It helps me to do my work. It helps me do more things than I was able to do. I am able to see improvement. Thanks for everything you have done for me.

Aubrey, age 8

I can read a lot easier and faster now. Every word or sentence doesn’t look like one long sentence like it used to. I think my dribbling skills in basketball have improved too. I noticed that my handwriting is better now and not as sloppy. If anyone has reading troubles – tell someone and you can get it fixed like I did.

Kenzie, 6th grade

We noticed something seemed wrong with Logan’s vision and it wasn’t being found in a normal vision screening. School was very hard for him. Logan is now riding a bike, eating food much more neatly and negotiating stairs without difficulty. I am excited to see how the light therapy affects his ability to perform in hockey. We started two weeks before the end of the season, and he started handling the puck, something he had not wanted to do all year. In fact, I wasn’t even going to sign him up for hockey next year, but now he is very excited to play again!! I’ll keep you updated on his progress!!

Sara, mother of Logan, age 6

Mitchell was having difficulty with number and letter reversals, and had poor handwriting. He was unable to track while reading and had difficulty reading and comprehending sentences. Mitchell has improved in his school work (reading, math, handwriting and spelling). He doesn’t feel like everyone hates him anymore – so I know he has improved in areas of self-esteem and social interaction.

Sally, mother of Mitchell, age 9

Brennan had trouble with reading and focusing at school. He was also having problems with his coordination. He has improved in his reading, piano playing, eye-hand coordination and focusing in school. We are very pleased with your services and how flexible and pleasant everyone was!!!

Ruthanne, mother of Brennan, age 8

Initially it was Stewart mentioning double vision during an annual eye exam that gave us reason to be concerned. Our primary care optometrist mentioned vision therapy as a possible option. After reading Dr. Frazer’s pamphlets describing symptoms we realized that everything defined Stewart (missing words and/or lines, loss of place on pages, letter reversals, and poor handwriting). We knew he wasn’t doing as well in school as he could be.

The first change I noticed was that Stewart became more spatially aware. Not only did he “back off” from others’ personal space, but when we were in large crowds he realized when he was drifting away from our group. In the past he would have continued to drift. Stewart’s daily spelling and handwriting have improved greatly, and his math grade is higher this year. I am anxious to see Stewart’s first report card after finishing his therapy sessions. This year’s teacher hasn’t seen nearly as much distractibility as the last couple of teachers saw. His current math grade is higher than it was all last year. He even seems to be having more success with his piano lessons!!

Daphne, mother of Stewart, age 9

Mariya was struggling in school and reading was a problem. She found it difficult to find her place on a page and look from the board to her assignments on her desk. Mariya has improved in all areas of school, but most importantly she is less moody, and we have noticed a dramatic decrease in temper tantrums. I am so grateful that Mariya has a chance at normal relationships.

Kathleen, mother of Mariya, age 9

I went to so many specialists…neurologists, eye and ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctors, psychiatrists, and no one would believe me…I would keep telling them something was wrong with my eyes and that they were making me dizzy and anxious. I researched my symptoms online and found the connection between my symptoms and ocular motor dysfunction. Thanks to Dr. Valerie Frazer, I am almost back to my normal self. The other medical doctors prescribed Valium and vitamins instead of finding the reason for my symptoms. I think anyone with dizziness, vertigo, sensory integration problems and all school age children should be seen by a developmental optometrist like Dr. Frazer! I love my vision therapy Brock String; it has changed my life 100%.

I retired early, at age 56 from my job as a pediatric occupational therapist, due to all of the symptoms I was having. I could not move my body from upright to be on the floor with the students without getting dizzy. If I had learned about vision therapy while in undergraduate or graduate school, I might still be working in the field of OT. Thank you so much!!

Mary Beth

We stumbled upon New Horizons Vision Therapy in our journey with Marina. I had a friend who casually mentioned their son’s vision therapy in the fall of 2011. I asked what the vision therapy was for, since I had never heard of him having vision issues. She mentioned needing some kind of eye therapy to help him learn. Seemed interesting at the time, but totally irrelevant to anything we needed for our children… at the time.

It was a year later that Marina entered the 1st grade. It was very quickly into the 1st semester that we realized homework and reading were a chore for this little girl. We argued with her a lot to get her 20 minutes of reading in, homework took forever and she could not sit still! I inquired with the teacher if this was typical behavior at school as well. The teacher confirmed that Marina was quite fidgety and seemed to not be paying attention even when she appeared to be engaged. When called upon, she had no idea what directions had just been given. The teacher assured me that some kids just take a bit longer to “click” and they could look into some ideas to help Marina stay focused.

Our frustration at home grew. Marina’s self-esteem was plummeting. It was Thanksgiving weekend and we had put our Christmas tree up. When we settled in after decorating, Marina mentioned, “Wow, the Christmas tree lights are blinking”. She was kind of giggling, but sounded as though she truly thought the lights were blinking… they were not. I asked her to take her glasses off, the blinking lights stopped. When I asked her to put the glasses on, she then said “the lights were moving in and out as she motioned her body back and forth.

The next day I could not get that short visit with my client from a year before out of my head. I had remembered the name New Horizons. I looked them up on Google and made a call. I realized I was calling before office hours. Denise answered anyway. I am still so grateful and tearful when I think about that conversation. Denise was amazing. She asked all the right questions as I told her right away, I didn’t even know if I was calling the right place, or what they even offered! She gave me so much comfort in all of the concerns we had for Marina and she said she felt Marina qualified to be evaluated.

We were thrilled when a cancellation got us in a week later for the evaluation. As we collected information about Marina from the public school, we were shocked. The things you can learn when you outright ask teachers and reading specialists questions! When asked if our daughter had issues seeing the chalk board, we learned that “she asked frequently to be moved closer and was encouraged to do so to lessen distractions”. We were never told she couldn’t see the board!

The reading specialist wrote that Marina was “often sprawled across the table during reading time and had a tough time focusing” That is not appropriate behavior in my book, but yet we were never told. I was so grateful for those and many more questions that New Horizons Vision Therapy knew to ask our teacher and reading specialist.
We then ventured to the 3 hour evaluation. I was concerned how we were going to get through it when we couldn’t get through 20 minutes of reading at home. Marina loved the environment immediately. Everyone greeted her with big smiles and most of all, encouraged her with compliments of how smart she was for telling her teacher she couldn’t see the board and ASKING for the need to move closer. They told her how proud they were of her. I knew right away we were at the right place.

After the evaluation, which flew by, we learned that Marina had a significant need for vision therapy. We had no idea what we were embarking on, but we were comforted with the fact that this therapy would help Marina with her focus on activities and improve her reading skills. After viewing what Marina was seeing while reading compared to what we saw, I felt so bad that we were constantly nagging her to sit still and “stay focused”. We were willing to commit to whatever was assigned to us to make daily things like reading comfortable for her.

With a weekly visit to Ms. Beth (the best therapist ever!) and daily homework, we were “all in”. Homework was tough some days and not always easy to fit in. The “funny light” they gave us in the beginning made us question what the heck we were doing, but I really felt the confidence from Denise, Beth and Dr. Frazer that this was all going to help.

Sometimes the therapy homework seemed so silly and my husband would often ask, “Why do we have to do this?” I often replied, “I don’t know, just do it!” We especially had faith in the program when Marina was given colored glasses and striped transparencies to put on her page while reading or looking for picture finds. When one of her eyes would get tired, it simply would stop working. That would black out some of the stripes on the sheet, blocking her from reading or finding the pictures. THAT was huge proof that these eyes were taking breaks and she was really struggling. You can bet we worked hard to keep those eyes on task!

This was a 6-month, daily process for our family. As we approached our “graduation evaluation”, we crossed all fingers that the improvement Dr. Frazer wanted to see was there. As she asked us many questions based on our entrance questionnaire, there were so many things and/or complaints that had simply faded away with our therapy. Fidgeting had nearly disappeared, she stopped dropping pencils to “take breaks”, tip toe walking had stopped, computer skills and following keys improved, focusing on tasks improved, math skills improved and reading had improved from a level C to chapter books. And guess what? She likes reading! Marina has even said she wants to be a teacher. A teacher, who helps children who have a hard time reading.

We have had such a wonderful experience with New Horizons Vision Therapy. Words can’t express enough how grateful we are to Dr. Frazer, Denise and of course, our therapist Beth. Marina’s self-esteem is through the roof and she is loving her start to 2nd grade. We have all the confidence that she will excel this year. Thank You, New Horizons!!!

Wendy, mother of Marina, age 7