Dr. Graebe Offers Free Workshops for Educators
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In many ways, Dr. Rick Graebe, an optometrist in Versailles, is a man on a mission.

After years of helping bright but struggling children transform into high-achieving and more confident students, Dr. Graebe feels compelled to spread the word.

The word, in this case, is actually two words -- Vision Therapy.
Vision Therapy is a kind of physical therapy for the eyes, brain and body that treats common visual problems such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, double vision, convergence insufficiency and some reading and learning disabilities.

“I’ve heard people say so many times, ‘I wish I had known about this sooner,’ or ‘I wish I had this when I was a child,’” Dr. Graebe said.

“For some people, Vision Therapy has been like a secret.”
Dr. Graebe is dedicated to sharing the secret.

He has given seminars and worked with other doctors from San Jose, Calif., to Atlantic City, N.J.

He also has provided and is available for in-service workshops for educators -- free of charge.

Teachers and occupational therapists receive continuing education credit for Dr. Graebe’s workshops.

In these presentations, Dr. Graebe can help teachers identify which students can be helped by Vision Therapy -- and which students can’t.
He also helps teachers devise techniques that can help struggling children perform better.

“I deal with bright kids who can’t show how bright they are because of problems with their visual system,” he said.

Because the visual system is the most efficient way to teach, more than 75% of classroom instruction depends on that system, according to Dr. Graebe.

In his workshops, Dr. Graebe explains how visual skills develop and identifies the symptoms of children whose skills develop incorrectly.

Obvious, tell-tale signs of a student struggling with visual issues include kids who answer questions correctly in class but score poorly on tests.

Other signs include students who fail to comprehend what they read, complain of headaches or keep looking up from their work, as if to rest their eyes.

Dr. Graebe emphasizes that the point of the teacher workshops is educational only -- not a sales pitch for his services.

Teachers and parents are free to make their own decisions.

“I feel my number one role is to explain, educate and fully inform people about Vision Therapy,” he said.

“My goal is to spread the word, to let kids and their parents know that there is hope.

“We can break the negative self-fulfilling prophecy that takes root in so many students.

“I know that I can help open doors for students.”