Name: Jason Holtom
I graduated from UofWaterloo in 1994. I practised for 10 years in a group setting in Edmonton AB. In 2005, my wife and fellow OD, Tedra Kindopp, and I started our own office in Red Deer AB. We had always envisioned starting a VT program (whatever that was) with the idea that my wife would do the therapy and I would continue with primary care. Well 4 kids later (ages 9, 6,6 and 2) that didn’t work too well and it was decided that I would do it. Not having any interest or skill, I looked to OEP for some guidance. I started my courses in 2011 and finished VT3 last year. I have attended numerous regional seminars and meetings on top of the endless books and articles that seem to get recommended.
I will never forget the headache I had the first day back from the Art and Science course as I literally froze when it came time to refract–how do you do what you have always done when your paradigm has shifted. I am happy to say I have managed to balance my “behavioral” and “traditional” hats and have a thriving primary care office, which offers vision therapy.
I love being able to help those patients who I would have had to throw up my hands about (or worse refer out of the office). I do a lot of pediatric work and so I find our LRVP patients booming-but also find great reward helping adults who have always been told “nothing can be done”
Just this week I have talked about nutrition, sleep, allergies, motor control, primitive reflexes, ADHD, Spectrum kids, visual aliasing and color therapy! I also just bought a physio swing for my office–forgot to plan on that 8 years ago so some remodelling is needed.