Runs every evaluation and writes every plan. Earned the FCOVD designation, awarded by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.
Vision therapy in Decatur, Georgia
Train your eyes to track, focus and work as a team
One-on-one vision therapy with a Doctor of Optometry, for children who lose their place when they read and for adults whose eyes tire at a screen. Every plan starts with an evaluation, and results vary.
Who we see
Two kinds of strain, one careful evaluation
The same questions about how the eyes move, focus and team up apply at any age. The plan that follows does not.
For children who lose their place
Reading feels like work: skipped lines, rereading, tired eyes after a few pages. Dr. Parrish measures how your child's eyes track, focus and team up, then explains what therapy would involve and what it would not.
The evaluation
For adults whose eyes tire at a screen
The afternoon blur, the headache that arrives with the inbox. The evaluation looks at focusing and eye teaming as well as eye health, and the doctor tells you if glasses, a break routine or therapy is the next step.
The evaluation
Sessions
What a session looks like
One therapist, one patient, about 45 minutes. These are four things a session might hold; yours is built from your evaluation.
Step 1: Tracking and reading
The eyes follow a target, then put the skill to work in a short reading or letter task. The pace stays where it is comfortable and rises only when you are ready.
Step 2: Focusing and teaming
Lens and prism flippers, red and blue glasses and screen tasks ask both eyes to focus and aim together, one small step at a time.
Step 3: Hands and eyes together
Drawing, building and balance tasks connect what the eyes see to what the hands do, in games a child can enjoy.
Step 4: A plan for home
You leave with a short routine for the week, written down, and a note on what comes next. A parent or partner can help.
The room
Simple tools, quiet room
Lenses, prisms, strings, cards and games, set out for one patient at a time.
Sample photos.
Plainly
What we cannot promise
Vision therapy is training, and training works differently for each person. These are the things we will not say.
- A result. Results vary, and some people notice little change.
- How many sessions you will need. Dr. Parrish gives an estimate after the evaluation and rechecks it as you go.
- That therapy is the right answer. Sometimes the evaluation finds that glasses, a referral or a different approach is a better fit, and we say so.
- That insurance will pay. Many plans cover the evaluation and not the sessions, and we check before you start.
- An answer about learning or attention. Vision is one part of reading and focus. We say what we find and where another professional should look.
The team
The people in the room
Dr. Parrish evaluates every patient and sets each plan. Therapy assistants run the sessions under her direction.
Ariel Valadez
Vision therapy assistant
Runs sessions with school-age children and teens.
Luke Sutherland
Vision therapy assistant
Runs sessions with adults and coaches the home routine.
Stacie Vaughn
Patient coordinator
Schedules visits and checks benefits before you come.
What families ask first
Is vision therapy the same as an eye exam?
No. An eye exam checks eye health and your prescription. Vision therapy is a series of one-on-one training sessions for how the eyes track, focus and work together. It starts with an evaluation that looks at both.
Who runs the sessions?
Therapy assistants run the sessions, and Dr. Parrish plans each one and checks progress at set visits.
How long is a session, and how often?
A session is about 45 minutes. Dr. Parrish sets how often you come after the evaluation and changes it as you go.
How old does my child need to be?
Children need to follow the tasks and want to try them. Dr. Parrish tells you at the evaluation whether now is the right time or whether to wait.
Will insurance pay?
Sometimes, in part. Plans differ on what they pay and for which diagnoses. How fees work explains the usual pattern, and we check your benefits before you start.
What if it is an emergency?
Call us now, or go to the nearest emergency room, for sudden vision loss, a curtain over your vision, a sudden shower of floaters, an eye injury or a chemical splash. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Book online
Book an evaluation
Choose a time in our booking system. Prefer to talk first? Call and we will find a time with you.
Phone(404) 555-0106
Hours
- Monday – ThursdayToday
- 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed