Success Story:
I am writing this letter to describe and document the outstanding optometric diagnostics and vision therapy I received from Dr. Jonathan Attiyah, OD. Over a three year time period I began to develop moderately severe eye and head pain when performing normal vision tasks such as reading or driving. I was mistakenly diagnosed as having a migraine headache by a neurologist. I took medication and was quite compliant with following the physician’s treatment guidelines. There were no positive changes and the intensity of the pain just gradually increased. My very astute primary care physician suggested that I see a specialist in optometry. I spoke to colleagues in the medical field and was given the name of the practice where I eventually met and was treated by Dr. Attiyah.
He was able to demonstrate during the extensive examination that I was experiencing a vision disorder consisting with both divergent and convergent vision disorders. When tasks were more difficult the level of pain increased. During the initial examination it quickly became apparent that the pain I was experiencing consistently correlated to the type of visual task I was performing. Reading small print on a computer and in newspapers caused particular difficulty. I however also experienced vision difficulty with driving at freeway speeds and at night. Because of these difficulties the range of activities that I could participate in began to shrink. When one ages the loss of abilities that keeps one independent can be quite disturbing.
Dr. Attiyah from the first day of treatment provided a very caring and welcoming demeanor. He truly cares about his patients. I immediately felt a sense of relief that this very astute doctor could help me regain my level of independence and decrease my level of pain. His explanations about my deficits were clear and concise.
His examination is very thorough and documented well the type of vision disorder that I was experiencing. The high level of accuracy with his examinations enabled us to compare over time the significant improvement that I made throughout treatment process. I did receive a vision prescription at his clinic that included glasses with prisms. We then began the therapy work.
The therapy tasks were easy to understand and could be easily completed on a daily basis at home. I came in for treatment every week. As I improved, he would update the therapy to make the tasks more complex. Initially even very simple close up visual work caused extreme pain. Every week these symptoms decreased and my ability to accomplish close up visual tasks improved. Eventually the pain that I experienced reading small print and completing close of visual work resolved. This increased my ability to do many of the daily tasks that I had previously given up. His outstanding care helped me to resolve my convergent visual disorder. That pain was now gone. We then focused on divergent vision tasks needed for tasks like driving. I am a senior and was not expecting that I could regain many of the vision abilities that I thought were permanently lost. I am continuing to work on tasks that he prescribes and I continue to make gains. He demonstrated to me that vision therapy works and that it is never too late.
Dr. Attiyah is a very talented optometrist. His level of expertise is outstanding. I knew from the beginning that I was very fortunate to receive treatment from one of the best clinicians in our state. His kindness and patience put his patients at ease. His explanations make the process easy to understand and follow. He has a great personality and sense of humor. I always looked forward to my vision therapy sessions with him.
I am very grateful to Dr. Attiyah for absolutely improving the quality of my life.
