Lesson Summary

When starting vision therapy, it’s valuable for the doctor to be hands-on initially to understand the procedures, patient responses, and how to adjust treatments. However, over time, it becomes less financially sensible for the doctor to handle all therapy sessions personally.

Who is a Vision Therapist?

• A trained staff member providing one-on-one therapy based on doctor’s prescriptions.
• Must be good listeners, observers, and adapt therapy levels as needed.
• Form deep connections with patients and help meet clinical and patient goals.

Training and Certification

• No formal vision therapy school exists; training is mostly in-house and on-the-job.
• Optional online courses like Emergent’s VT 101 & 102 offer basic knowledge.
• Ongoing continuing education is important, including weekly training or seminars.
• Certification by OVDRA requires:
• Two years of vision therapy experience.
• Doctor fellowships in OVDRA.
• Writing nine topic-related papers.
• Passing a comprehensive written multiple-choice exam.
• Completing an in-person interview at the annual meeting.
• Certified therapists have opportunities for professional growth like speaking engagements.

Financial and Practice Benefits

• Doctor-provided therapy often generates less revenue than exams or evaluations due to lower hourly charges.
• Having dedicated vision therapists frees doctors to focus on exams, follow-ups, and patient acquisition.
• A full-time vision therapist can bring approximately $100,000 in revenue above their salary annually.
• Multiple therapists can significantly multiply practice revenue without major overhead changes.
• Doctors are better utilized doing other tasks rather than spending all time in therapy sessions.

Training Process Overview

• Start with online VT 101 course to build foundational knowledge.
• In-office hands-on training lasting a few months with observation and supervised practice.
• After about three months, therapist begins seeing patients independently, starting with simpler cases.
• Ongoing development through further training and case discussions.
• Initial training investment estimated around $20,000–$25,000.

Practical Considerations

• Vision therapists can multiply your practice’s capacity; however, the doctor needs to balance how many therapists to manage.
• Doctors should review every patient chart even if therapists treat the patients.
• Ideal therapist candidates often have backgrounds working with children, such as retired teachers or coaches.
• Familiarity with the practice or personal referrals can be good ways to find potential therapists.

Summary

Starting out doing vision therapy personally is valuable for understanding the process and its benefits. Transitioning to trained vision therapists enhances practice efficiency and profitability by enabling the doctor to focus on other essential duties. With proper training, ongoing education, and certification options, vision therapists are vital to a thriving vision therapy practice.