I spent a year working in the office of Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, a Neuro-Optometrist and the founder and CEO of MyVisionFirst. My role as a Vision Therapy Medical Assistant involved guiding adult and child patients in performing exercises to strengthen the visual system as directed by Dr. Appelbaum’s methods. We led and supported patients through activities to improve coordination and stability to treat traumatic brain injuries, strokes, amblyopia, astigmatism, age-related degeneration, and convergence and divergence insufficiency to improve visual skills.

Working alongside the Neuro-Optometrists at MyVisionFirst, I’ve learned how often vision issues are mistaken for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Appelbaum emphasizes the overlap between these two conditions and that many children diagnosed with ADHD may actually be struggling with undiagnosed vision problems. The symptoms can look nearly identical: difficulty focusing, poor attention span, and trouble processing information. Dr. Appelbaum suggests that when a child consistently loses focus while reading, it may not be due to inattention, but because their eyes aren’t coordinating properly, making the words appear blurry or doubled.

What surprised me most was learning how limited standard school vision screenings are, typically checking for 20/20 vision, but failing to assess how well the eyes track, focus, or work together. At MyVisionFirst, the Neuro-Optometrists conduct comprehensive eye exams that go beyond basic tests, identifying visual problems that often go unnoticed.

If a vision issue is diagnosed, our doctors develop a customized Vision Therapy program to retrain the eyes and brain to work in sync, offering a non-pharmacological alternative to typical ADHD treatments. I’ve watched children flourish after starting therapy, no longer hindered by the symptoms that once led to misdiagnosis. Supporting this process has shown me the profound impact accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment can have on one’s confidence, learning, and overall well-being.