Carl G. Hillier, OD

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Hillier and the San Diego Center for Vision Care. Dr. Hillier and his staff changed my son’s life. He had suffered so much since elementary school — complaining that he «couldn’t see» or that «words moved around» and that the «light was too bright» and that he had to wait for the words to «float up» before he could read them. He had almost 0 comprehension. In spite of our asking the school to assess him, he was never diagnosed as dyslexic nor were his vision issues identified or addressed. Because he complained incessantly about the visual symptoms, we took him to many optometrists and opthalmologists over a period of 15 years, who unanimously announced that he had ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision and that there was nothing wrong. Yet schoolwork was a nightmare and he would do any manipulation necessary to get someone else to read and interpret whatever written materials had to be dealt with. He got through high school only by «listening» to what was said in class and by insisting that family read his text books to him. After graduation, he had a series of low paying jobs, since training or college required reading. On the internet I finally read about vision therapy, and realized that his symptoms matched up with what Dr. Hillier was able to diagnose and treat. (Google College of Vision Development or go to Dr. Hillier’s site for more info on hidden vision problems). My son was 25 when he finally was evaluated and began vision therapy. When Dr. Hillier calmly pronounced that he thought he could help our son, we were filled with hope. We will always regret the many years of heartache and our son’s conclusion that he was simply too stupid to read. After vision therapy, the world began to expand for him. He suddenly could read his own mail and stated that «he felt smarter». He recently got a job and is doing very well. His attention span has increased markedly, his comprehension is way up, he isn’t having double/​blurred vision, the words remain anchored on the page, and he is no longer plagued by overwhelming fatigue. His memory has improved, too. Even his personality has changed from an angry, depressed, frustrated young man to one who has plans and a hope for the future. Never in a million years would I have believed this transformation was possible. The cost was not covered by insurance and it was a sacrifice to pay for the therapy, but was so worth it. Dr. Hillier is specially trained by the College of Vision Development and was the only optometrist who identified Ryan’s problem and knew what to do. We will always be grateful for the kindness and compassion with which we were treated. Thank you Dr. Hillier and your staff for all you have done for our son, and really, for our entire family.