About Us
Vision Development of WNY exists to provide hope and healing for those with;
- vision-related learning problems
- traumatic brain injuries
- strokes
If your eyes aren’t functioning as a team, you can’t focus properly, retain balance, or learn.
Vision Development of WNY focuses on restoring your visual function, learning, and quality of life throughout the Elma, Buffalo, Western New York region, and beyond.
With over four decades of experience, Dr. O’Connor, Dr. Fortuna and their well-trained, caring team utilize non-invasive therapy, education, FUN, and state-of-the-art equipment to help patients achieve their full potential and thus fulfill their dreams and goals.
Our Team
Dr. Dick O'Connor
The dream that fostered Vision Development of WNY began many years ago, when Dr. Dick O’Connor met a little girl named Beth. Here is his story:
I’m often asked why I do what I do for a living and what keeps me working... Show More
The dream that fostered Vision Development of WNY began many years ago, when Dr. Dick O’Connor met a little girl named Beth. Here is his story:
I’m often asked why I do what I do for a living and what keeps me working in Behavioral Optometry. My favorite part of Optometric Vision Therapy is the look on a parent’s face when they “get” that I understand the reason for their child’s underperformance/frustration and that we have a plan that can help.
During clinic rotation in my last year of Optometry school I met Beth. She was nine years old, in third grade for the second time, and failing badly. We talked. She was sharp and funny, but could not keep up academically. Beth had 20/20 visual acuity, so no one thought the cause of her school problems was due to a vision problem.
My evaluation however revealed significant difficulty using her eyes together when working up close (reading), to the point that she saw double and thought that was normal.
At the end of a six-month Vision Therapy program, Beth jumped into my arms with her report card in hand. It showed two A’s and four B’s. Even more significant to me was the fact than instead of working long hours trying to keep up in school, Beth now had free time for fun and friends.
Beth was a literal ‘eye-opener’ for me. I knew I could never stop doing this work because of all the Beths in the world who deserved a better chance at life.” I’ve come to know it was God calling me to my destiny.
For over 45 years Dr. Dick O’Connor has been restoring hope and vision to families whose loved ones experience learning disabilities, developmental delays, behavioral issues or disorders, concussions or traumatic brain injuries, and strokes.
- He is a 1975 graduate from The Southern College of Optometry.
- Between 1975-1977, he worked for Dr. Joyce Adema in New Orleans in a large Behavioral Optometry practice, as well as an inner-city health clinic.
- From 1977-1985 O’Connor operated his own Optometry practice, which offered Primary Care and Behavioral Optometry, in conjunction with his father’s practice – Dick O’Connor Optical.
- On June 1, 1985 he joined a group practice in East Aurora which later became Aurora Optometric Group, practicing Primary Care and Behavioral Optometry. He continued to practice there until August 31, 2017.
- On September 1, 2017 O’Connor opened Vision Development of WNY to practice full time Behavioral Optometry.
- He is a member of the national, state and local American Optometric Associations, College of Vision Development, the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Associations, and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation.
- O’Connor has served his profession by being a past President of the WNY Optometric Association and Secretary & Fellow of the College of Syntonic Optometry.
- He has served his community as past President of the Kiwanis of East Aurora and Past President of the Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
- With the goal of educating and helping more people, Dr. O’Connor is often invited to speak to groups of physical therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, and nurses at universities, schools, and hospitals.
Dr. Alyssa Fortuna
Dr. Alyssa Fortuna’s passion for Vision Therapy grew when she shadowed Dr. O’Connor before applying for Optometry School. “This passion grew even more after I was hired to work as a Vision Therapist at Dr. O’Connor’s and I began to... Show More
Dr. Alyssa Fortuna’s passion for Vision Therapy grew when she shadowed Dr. O’Connor before applying for Optometry School. “This passion grew even more after I was hired to work as a Vision Therapist at Dr. O’Connor’s and I began to see the kids lives change first hand! I remember the Moms saying Dr. O’Connor gave them answers they couldn’t find anywhere else. Their children weren’t stupid or lazy as many people had labeled them – they simply had a vision problem which could be helped. We can train the eye-brain connection to help the eyes function better as a team and to intake information more efficiently in order to be processed more effectively.
Dr. Alyssa is a proud graduate of SUNY Optometry class of 2020 where she:
- Presided as SUNY College of Vision Development (COVD) President 2018-2019 and ran workshops for other students.
Served Internships at:
- SUNY - Vision Rehabilitation & Head Trauma
- NYU Langone – Ocular Disease Hospital
- Buffalo VA – Primary Optometry
- Received the Excellence in Vision Therapy award in May 2020 due to her contributions to the patients and the clinic.
Patient Reviews
I found this place after suffering Binocular Vision Disorder after a bout with covid! My vision was completely off but with the help of this team I have recovered immensely!... Show More
I found this place after suffering Binocular Vision Disorder after a bout with covid! My vision was completely off but with the help of this team I have recovered immensely! I don’t know what I would have done had they not been an option for me! After light therapy, vision therapy and prism lenses I am much better! I am grateful for every one that has helped me at this place Dr. Alyssa, Dr. Oconnor and of course Kathy my vision therapist whom I’ve grown to consider to be like family! They are all wonderful caring people! The support staff is fabulous also and everyone truly cares about you!
- Anne A. 1 week ago
Part 1 of 2
I had been told my whole life that I had perfect sight. I had consistently tested 20/20 at every doctor appointment and school eye test. So surely... Show More
Part 1 of 2
I had been told my whole life that I had perfect sight. I had consistently tested 20/20 at every doctor appointment and school eye test. So surely as a high school graduate and now a college graduate it couldn’t be my eyes that were the problem. I spent months studying and trying to retain information that I had already learned to pass my national license exam. I didn’t pass the first two attempts and I was becoming increasingly worried as I am only allowed three attempts. A recommendation was made to me and an appointment for an evaluation was scheduled. Optometric vision therapy wasn’t something I had ever heard of and realistically I wasn’t expecting it to be something I needed. I had convinced myself that there was no way that my struggles with studying and exam taking could be an issue stemming from my eyes. On the day of my evaluation i was greeted at the front desk to sign in and then met with Dr. O’Connor.
Dr. O’Connor is truly amazing, he walked me through each exercise and made jokes and small talk while he preformed my evaluation. The final exercise was the functional field test, which in my head I was obviously acing. When the test was over and Dr. O showed me the two circles in the middle of the paper I knew in that moment that he was clearly going to be impressed with my work. As it turned out two circles in the middle of the page showed an issue with my visual field. Dr. O explained that my eyes were struggling and all of the issues I had been dealing with actually had a real cause. I was told that my eyes had to work so much harder to relay information to my brain that when I had been spending hours studying I would only have been retaining the first fifteen to thirty minutes. Shocked would be an understatement, I couldn’t believe that I had spent the last year studying and feeling as though I hadn’t been “smart enough” to pass when all along my brain and eyes were just doing the best they could. Dr. O started me on light therapy and an infinity walk, all of which I was able to do from the comfort of my home.
The changes weren’t immediate, and for the first few weeks I wasn’t sure the light therapy was doing anything for me. Don't get me wrong staring into a colored light for thirty minutes a day was fun, but I had wanted to feel real change in myself. I can vividly remember the moment I realized that the light therapy was working. I was on my way home from work a few weeks after starting my light therapy and I was stopped at a red light. This was an intersection that I went through hundreds of times in my life, I knew when the light would change and when the arrows would show up. But what I had never seen was the car in the next lane pulling up next to me in my peripheral vision. I turned my head to the side to see the car fully then looked back at the light and focused on what I could see around me. Clear as day there was the car next to me, a sight up until then I had never seen or even knew that that’s how everyone else was seeing the world. As to be expected at my follow up appointment my retake of the functional field test was better than my original. For the next few months I continued with the light therapy, infinity walks and my studies. Each follow up appointment I continued to see improvement with all of my numbers and Dr.O even changed my glasses prescription to give myself a little boost when using my IPad to study or reading materials for an extended time.
Part 2 found in the photo
- Kathryn M. 3 months ago
Optometrist Vision Therapy-- The entire staff there are caring, kind, fun, sweet, knowledgeable and amazing. They all helped my daughter with her vision difficulties that has greatly improved her grades... Show More
Optometrist Vision Therapy-- The entire staff there are caring, kind, fun, sweet, knowledgeable and amazing. They all helped my daughter with her vision difficulties that has greatly improved her grades in school, her confidence and her dancing abilities. I highly recommend them.
- Kellie C. 3 months ago
Vision Development of WNY made my hopes of resuming daily activities after a serious medical event a reality. Optometric Vision Therapy was all new to me, but Dr. O'Connor, Miss... Show More
Vision Development of WNY made my hopes of resuming daily activities after a serious medical event a reality. Optometric Vision Therapy was all new to me, but Dr. O'Connor, Miss Kathy, and the entire staff were encouraging, supportive, patient, and professional throughout the entire program. The process was challenging and interesting. They also provided activities for home support, keeping my family involved. The entire team demonstrated a committed and caring approach to improving the patient's quality of life. Their help and expertise made a huge difference for me.
- LINDA A. 4 months ago
Our daughter was a patient at WNY Vision Development. I cannot recommend the program more! The therapies in the program greatly helped and made a huge difference... Show More
Our daughter was a patient at WNY Vision Development. I cannot recommend the program more! The therapies in the program greatly helped and made a huge difference in her ability to read and overall quality of life.
She also loved each of the staff members there and both Doctors. The whole team there was more like family than healthcare providers. Everyone was trying to get to the root of our daughter's vision issues instead of a surface diagnosis.
We felt completely disregarded by other doctors and institutions. We were blessed to have the services of WNY Vision Dev - Highly recommend.
You can visit and learn more too before the full program.
- kevin k. 4 months ago
Dr. O'Connor and his staff are excellent. About 20 years ago he identified and corrected a vision problem that then allowed my 7 yo daughter to read. ... Show More
Dr. O'Connor and his staff are excellent. About 20 years ago he identified and corrected a vision problem that then allowed my 7 yo daughter to read. Recently I developed a problem with walking, balance and depth perception. I'm so grateful that I knew about Dr. O'Connor's work! He has helped me regain good visual perception leading to balance and stable walking. I have referred several others to him and all are equally pleased. I highly recommend him.
- Neva W. 4 months ago
Optometric Vision Therapy has changed our son's life. Vision Development of WNY has been the best investment for our son's future; his writing has improved, communication is better, sleeping through... Show More
Optometric Vision Therapy has changed our son's life. Vision Development of WNY has been the best investment for our son's future; his writing has improved, communication is better, sleeping through the night and taking on more responsibilities for himself. We will be forever greatful for Dr. O, Dr. Alyssa, and the entire staff at Vision Development. Have faith in the process, do the recommended home support and tbe progress will show!
- Brittany M. 5 months ago
Our daughter Violet initially started vision therapy after undergoing surgery to correct the alignment of her eyes. We continued to notice her struggle to navigate around safely and started seeing... Show More
Our daughter Violet initially started vision therapy after undergoing surgery to correct the alignment of her eyes. We continued to notice her struggle to navigate around safely and started seeing her eyes cross again. Vision therapy with Miss Kathy at Vision Development of WNY helped her avoid the need for another corrective surgery and she has drastically improved her balance, coordination, and navigating her surroundings. We are thrilled with her progress! Violet says, “I love all the fun activities. My eyes are focused, straight, doing well and ready for the day!”
- Allyson S. 5 months ago
The Doctor and staff are professional, engaging, caring, and patient, everything you could hope for while going through Optometric Vision Therapy. My teen was less than excited about having to... Show More
The Doctor and staff are professional, engaging, caring, and patient, everything you could hope for while going through Optometric Vision Therapy. My teen was less than excited about having to go through this process but they kept her motivated and on track throughout the therapy.
- Courtney F. 7 months ago
We had the best, most positive experience at Vision Development of WNY. My child made huge strides in her reading confidence and comprehension and gained so many new skills. Most... Show More
We had the best, most positive experience at Vision Development of WNY. My child made huge strides in her reading confidence and comprehension and gained so many new skills. Most of all though, the staff, therapists and doctors are such incredible and caring people. My child truly connected and developed relationships with them and enjoyed coming every week. They made such an impact on her life and I cannot articulate how appreciative we are for the confidence they built in our child.
- Laura C. 7 months ago