I’ve seen an incredible amount of improvement. I’ve seen great strides in my depth perception, peripheral vision, convergence, divergence and overall vision. I used to struggle with tasks like walking up the stairs but now I feel comfortable doing simple tasks that I didn’t before. I’m even starting to drive again which is a big step for me- it was my main goal. I can’t thank everyone at Dr. Mackowsky’s enough. My vision has very clearly improved and so has my attitude on life.
MT, Durham, NC
By wearing the prism reflector on my glasses, I am starting to see things in my blind spot overhead. The exercises on my eyes have helped my eyesight a lot.
GB, Fayetteville, NC
My sight is much better than it was previously. I have been able to go from 5 to 4 in prisms and that is better. Dr Mackowsky does excellent work. My home therapy practice has become much easier to do. I would recommend Dr. Mackowsky’s therapy to anyone who needs her.
SH, Cary, NC
Looking back (because I can now), it was great judgment on the part of my Physical Therapist when she referred me to Dr. Mackowsky’s Vision Therapy Clinic. My first vision exam proved conclusively the extent of the damage the stroke I experienced (one year ago) had caused me particularly with regard to my left side neglect and overall lack of spatial awareness. The last vision exam confirmed the significant improvement and advancements made as a direct result of Dr. Mackowsky’s treatment. In addition, there is no doubt in my mind, that the pace of my overall physical recovery and mobility can also be attributed to Dr. Mackowsky’s work by complementing my other therapies. As most (actually, all) of my medical therapists will attest, I am not the easiest patient to work with but despite my foibles, Dr. Mackowsky maintained her composure, proved to be a great sport and still managed to customize an exercise program that worked for me perfectly. I would like to thank Dr. Nancy Mackowsky and her team for the excellent and professional treatment received, I am truly fortunate and will be forever grateful. Most important, I would not hesitate to recommend the clinic to anyone requiring some kind of neuro-optometric treatment in the future.
SB, Raleigh, NC
On January 26, 2013, I suffered a stroke. I was hospitalized for a week and my vision was damaged. After being checked by a local doctor, it was determined that I should not drive. I had a “blind spot” on my right side. The doctor instructed my girlfriend to always keep things away from my right side as I may bump into things on that side and that seemed to be their solution.
My girlfriend contacted Dr. Nancy Mackowsky who performed numerous tests on my vision. It was determined my vision problem was correctable by 10 weeks of therapy. I had two vision problems: a kind of “tunnel vision” and a tracking problem that made me feel like my eyeball was “bouncing”.
By the 4th therapy session, I could feel a positive improvement. By the 6th session, I was reading again and was driving some by the 8th session. While I am still recovering from my stroke, my vision has corrected. I have no words to express my thanks to Dr. Mackowsky and her staff. Being able to see correctly again is a wonderful thing.
Dr. Mackowsky and her team have my unqualified support for any vision problem; being able to see is a big deal.
RW, Rocky Mount, NC
Dr. Mackowsky was always very encouraging to me. She explained in detail how to do my home exercises. While being enthusiastic, she was patient with my attempts. The assigned activities were specific to my problem; we feel that the exercises led to my improvement. Dr. Mackowsky was flexible in scheduling my appointments and rescheduling if necessary.
MM, Fuquay-Varina, NC
I would like to advise anyone in need of vision therapy that it is well worth the effort and expense at the Dr. Mackowsky’s clinic. My therapist was great! Patient, understanding, and a good listener. I had a stroke as a result of chemo treatment for cancer. It left me with side vision problems – motion and depth deficiencies. I could not walk without a walker or a 4-prong cane – unlevel surfaces would throw me off balance. I also had depression problems, coping with cancer and stroke. These treatments have helped bring back my vision to the point that I can drive again with provisional license. Again, I only need a straight cane. I have no problem walking on unlevel surfaces or with depth. My nerves and depression are better because I can again do some or most of the things I could not do before the therapy. I am so thankful that I was referred to Dr. Mackowsky and that she saw the need for the therapy. I feel I now have a big part of my life back together again.
LS, Selma, NC
Since RS started vision therapy, he has gone from seeing two separate objects to having these objects
touch and overlap without prisms. He is able to now have prescription prisms added to his glasses to get one image. The vision in his left eye was almost black and has now opened up for him to see more. His peripheral vision is improved. His self-esteem has greatly improved. He is able to move more easily inside and outside without assistance. Coming to vision therapy has been the best therapy he has ever had.
RS wife, Raleigh, NC
Before I began vision therapy for convergence insufficiency, possibly related to brain injury I sustained at age 31, I had problems distinguishing left from right. I also struggled to complete simple assignments for both school and work. In school, I would study for hours; however, my grades never reflected my time nor my effort. At work, it was difficult for me to differentiate between the different columns and rows which caused me to make too many errors. This visual disturbance caused me to suffer from low grades, a low performance evaluation at work, as well as severely low self-esteem. After seven months of visual therapy, I have seen drastic improvements. I can distinguish between left and right; my reading speed has improved; and I rarely transpose characters. Overall, I’m more efficient and can complete assignments that I once felt were impossible. I will graduate with a Master of Science in Accounting with a 3.75 GPA in a few months! I have taken two parts of the CPA exam. Recently, I became a board member of a professional organization. Without Roxanne, my therapist, none of this would have been possible!
DK, Raleigh, NC
My Struggle with Double Vision
On November 1st, 2011 I suffered a stroke. I had always been in reasonably good health except for mild arthritis in my knees and hips which I attributed to heredity and the extra pounds I had accumulated during the 66 years of my life. After heroic efforts by my doctors to save me, I awoke to a world of confusion, forgetfulness and double vision. After a few more weeks in the hospital, I was well enough to go home, but the double vision stayed with me. I had always been a very “visual” person, and this double vision and the accompanying unsteadiness was very disconcerting for me. My favorite pastime had been drawing and painting pictures before the stroke. I had gotten good enough at it to have won awards and to make extra income from it. With the double vision, I would no longer be able to pursue my favorite pastime.
For several months, I went through rehabilitation to improve my coordination and steadiness, and then I was referred to Dr. Mackowsky, who was able to help me overcome the double vision problem. I understood that the process would take a while to go through. I would have to re-learn how to control my eyes in order to make them converge and focus, something I had done automatically the first time as a baby. Due to the damage left by the stroke, the second time is a frustrating struggle.
I must say that Dr. Mackowsky has been very comforting and reassuring during my effort to regain single vision. She has provided prescriptions for prism glasses that have given me some respite from constant double vision until my eyes and brain can learn to get coordinated again, and see the world as it should be seen. During the weekly sessions at her office, she put me through the paces of learning exercises to help my eyes become better coordinated and gave me weekly assignments to work on at home in order to speed the whole process along. She has been very encouraging, and has followed my progress with regular evaluations. Despite my initial misgivings, the program Dr. Mackowski took me through seems to have helped me.
It is January of 2013 as I write this. Though the struggle against double vision still continues for me, things are definitely looking better. The double vision is now only in the bottom third of my field vision and gradually getting better. With the new glasses prescribed for me by Dr. Mackowsky, and the improvement in my vision, I have been able to return to painting. It is a bit of a struggle still, but I am feeling more positive, week to week, as the double vision gradually improves. I am still doing visual exercises recommended for me by Dr. Mackowsky, and though the progress has been frustratingly slow for me, I am, nonetheless, seeing progress.
Though I am impatient and would have preferred an “instant fix” for my vision problems, I feel that the program of training and treatment offered by Dr. Mackowsky has benefited me a lot. It has kept me from giving up hope of overcoming this deficit in my vision, and the progress I can now see is making me more and more hopeful of a return to fully normal vision.
DS, Benson, NC
My right peripheral vision has improved so much that I no longer have difficulty walking or running in to things or being aware of things coming at me from the right. My quickness to react has improved tremendously and I hope to continue to drive very soon. I am glad that I was able to participate in this program and have such a great doctor to get me where I am today.
BS, Raleigh, NC
