Complete EyeCare Center

You may have noticed it.  When we refer to our doctor we sometimes call him Christopher P. Olson, OD, FAAO.  But what’s that FAAO part all about and why is it part of his professional name?

The letters stand for Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.  FAAO credentials behind an optometrist, scientist or other qualified person’s name signify to colleagues and patients that rigorous qualifications for Fellowship have been met.  For optometrists this involves presenting written and oral case studies and posters, being evaluated through interviews and clinical assessment, and meeting the highest educational and licensure standards.  It is a discipline that only 20 Iowa optometrists (currently seeing patients) have successfully completed. 

According to the AAO website, “Fellows of the Academy are committed to the premise that learning is a lifelong obligation of a professional, as is the commitment to expand the profession’s knowledge base through ongoing Fellowship and exchange.”

So those letters, FAAO, are yet another way of assuring you that Dr. Olson is committed to maintaining high professional standards through lifelong education and improvement.  All with the goal of providing the best professional eye health care he can for his patients.

An 1881 political cartoon depicts Guiteau, assassin of President Garfield.

An upcoming theatre production will feature Mt. Pleasant performers, including Complete EyeCare Center’s Dr. Christopher Olson, portraying a historic court trial with Mt. Pleasant ties.   The prosecutor in the case was George B. Corkhill of Mt. Pleasant, who graduated from Iowa Wesleyan in 1859 and was District Attorney for the District of Columbia at the time of the trial.

The real-life drama entitled The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau is about the man who shot President James Garfield in 1881 and draws comparisons between the political and legal climate then and now.  Images of the times and people will be projected behind the actors and readers.  Cast members are Jim Beasley, David Edwards, John Hemsworth, Terry Hemsworth, Mark Kimzey, Christopher Olson, Lon Pugh, Angie Thomas, Kevin Wiley, Rick Williamson, and Brad Workman.  The Director is David File.

Performances will be on April 23 and 24, 2010 at 7 PM at the Heatilator Center for the Performing Arts in Mt. Pleasant.  Sponsored by the Harlan-Lincoln House, the shows are being offered to the public free of charge.

(If you would like more information about the play the Executive Director of Friends of the Harlan-Lincoln House, Lynn Ellsworth, can be reached by calling 319.385.6320.)

Has your child had a comprehensive eye exam?

Does your child…

…have a short attention span?

…find it hard to concentrate on reading?

…get headaches or blurred vision when using the computer?

…avoid homework?

…tire easily when reading?

…suffer eyestrain?

…get car sick?

…get labeled as an “underachiever”?

The answers to these questions may indicate the need not only for vision correction in the form of eyeglasses or contacts, but the need for improved  visual skills such as eye teaming, convergence, fixation, accommodation, or tracking.  So much of learning is done visually, so a vision impairment can directly affect a child’s behavior and academic success.

Dr. Olson evaluates vision, eye health, and visual skills during a comprehensive eye exam.  If he finds visual skill deficiency, vision therapy may help the patient with vision-related problems affecting learning.

Our office offers an in-home vision therapy program from HTS.  After receiving instruction on how to use the program, parents have their child use their home computer to do therapy “games” approximately 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  After 2-3 months they return for the doctor to review the results.  This is often a sufficient amount of time to retrain the eye muscles to work properly.

We have heard success stories from many of our vision therapy patients.  For more information, learn why 20/20 vision isn’t enough at the HTS website or call Complete EyeCare Center at 319.395.9534 for an appointment with Dr. Olson.