4.9
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Visual Symptoms Treatment Center

Your Arlington Heights Eye Doctor

3250 N. Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL

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About Us

Dedicated to Improving Patients’ Vision and Quality of Life

As the premier center for treating complex vision problems and for providing vision therapy, we see patients arrive from all over Illinois and far beyond.

We are known for our excellence in testing, diagnosing, and treating vision problems especially in our three main focuses of;

• Vision therapy
• Neuro-optometry
• Myopia control


Visual Symptoms Treatment Center incorporates a complete care system which provides sophisticated attention and careful follow-up.

Each patient is given a complete vision and eye health examination followed by a detailed consultation which analyses all corrective possibilities, taking into account the patient’s life-style and personal expectations, as well as occupational, academic, and recreational needs.

Patients are made aware of all visual findings and treatment options and specialty care is available when needed.
  • Comprehensive Eye Exams
  • Contact Lens Exams
  • Dry Eyes
  • Pediatric Eye Care
  • Myopia Management
  • Sport Vision
  • Vision Therapy
  • Neuro Optometry
  • Amblyopia Treatment
  • Strabismus Treatment
  • Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation
  • Sports Vision Training

Location & Hours

Hours
    847-255-1040 3250 N. Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL

    Convenient Hours

    • Open Evenings

    Access

    • Onsite Parking
    • Free Parking

    Reviews

    • Top Rated

    Our Team

    Dr. Neil Margolis OD, FAAO, FCOVD

    Dr. Neil Margolis, OD, FAAO, FCOVD

    Dr. Neil Margolis is a Neuro Developmental Optometrist in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He has specialized his practice over the last 25 years towards the evaluation and treatment of tracking, binocular vision skills and visual information processing for students of all... Show More

    Dr. Neil Margolis is a Neuro Developmental Optometrist in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He has specialized his practice over the last 25 years towards the evaluation and treatment of tracking, binocular vision skills and visual information processing for students of all abilities and ages. He has achieved Fellowship status in the American Academy of Optometry and College of Vision Development. He has two graduate level optometric degrees and has also completed a postgraduate optometric residency. He has been personally honored with two prestigious awards by the international neuro optometric rehabilitation association for his contribution to the field of concussion/stroke rehabilitation working with both children and adults. He was also awarded the annual award by the Illinois pediatric brain injury support group. His work on visual rehabilitation has been repeatedly published in journals and included in a landmark multidisciplinary textbook on visual rehabilitation.

     

    Dr. Margolis has lectured to the teachers and therapists of the Special Education District of Lake County, most school districts in the northwest suburbs and to the rehab staff of most major rehab hospitals in Chicagoland. His work has been referenced in many published books on child development or adult rehabilitation. Dr. Margolis is honored to currently serve on the advisory board for three private schools in Illinois; Giant Steps, Soaring Eagles and Midwest Center for Gifted Education and is an advocate for children with vision related learning difficulties. He is happiest at work helping children or adults achieve their potential or concussion survivors achieve “normal”. 

    • Family Friendly
    • English
    Dr. Michael DeStefano

    Dr. Michael DeStefano

    Dr. Michael DeStefano is the newest neuro-developmental optometrist at Visual Symptoms Treatment Center. Dr. DeStefano’s professional interests include helping struggling students achieve academic success, caring for patients with traumatic brain injuries/concussions, visual snow syndrome, and myopia control. He received his Bachelor... Show More

    Dr. Michael DeStefano is the newest neuro-developmental optometrist at Visual Symptoms Treatment Center. Dr. DeStefano’s professional interests include helping struggling students achieve academic success, caring for patients with traumatic brain injuries/concussions, visual snow syndrome, and myopia control.

    He received his Bachelor of Science in biology and his Bachelor of Arts in Italian at Loyola University Chicago, where he graduated with high honors. Dr. DeStefano received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Optometry, where he was valedictorian of the school’s inaugural class and a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society.

    Dr. DeStefano is highly involved in patient advocacy, research, and treatment of visual snow syndrome. He is one of five optometrists in the United States--and the only optometrist in the Midwest--who is partnered with the Visual Snow Initiative, an organization dedicated to helping those with visual snow syndrome.

    He also dedicates time to working with gifted children at the Midwest Academy for Gifted Education (MAGE), where he helps highly intelligent but sometimes struggling students reach their full academic potential through vision therapy.

    He credits his extensive knowledge in vision therapy from working as the founder and former president of Midwestern University’s chapter of College in Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) as well as other neuro-optometrists while in school.  He is still active in COVD as well as the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, in addition to other professional organizations.

    He currently resides with his wife, Lisa, in Elk Grove Village. Dr. DeStefano was born and raised in Palatine, just three miles from the office.

    When Dr. DeStefano isn’t seeing patients, he typically spends time with his wife and Italian family, golfing, or working out. He considers himself a kid at heart, as he enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs, playing video games, and collecting trading cards.

    Most importantly, he enjoys serving patients every day and looks forward to helping you or a loved one.

    Dr. DeStefano’s Professional Memberships

    • Illinois Optometric Association
    • American Optometric Association
    • College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)
    • Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA)
    • Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society

    Dr. DeStefano’s List of Accomplishments, Honors, Awards, and Involvement:

    • Winner of VSP's Practice Excellence Scholarship for leadership and advancement of private practice optometry
    • Two-time winner of Midwestern University's Optometry Quiz Bowl
    • Essilor Optometry Student Bowl national competitor
    • Two-time winner of Midwestern University's Spirit of Service
    • Award, an award given to those who demonstrate a commitment to serving others
    • Dean's list throughout every semester of college
    • Researched the link between traumatic brain injury and abnormal pupillary light responses (alpha omega pupil)
    • Scored at the 99.8th percentile (top 0.2% among all US and Canada test-takers) overall on the Optometry Admissions Test
    • Four-time Colombian Club of Chicago Scholarship winner
    • Italian American Executives of Transportation Scholarship winner
    • Four-time William J Cook Scholarship winner
    • Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization Scholarship winner
    • Cegliesi Italo-American Association (CI-AMA) Scholarship winner
    • Le Italo-Americane di Oggi (LIADO) Scholarship winner
    • UNICO Ralph Torraco Memorial Scholarship winner
    • Two-time representative for OptoPrep national optometry board exam preparation program
    • Recipient of Allergan’s JumpStart Award for young optometrists achieving practice excellence
    • Family Friendly
    • Accepting New Patients
    • In Person Appointments
    • English
    • Italian

    Patient Reviews

    4.9
    Top Rated
    I wish I could give Dr. DeStefano 10 stars! I’ve been to several doctors in my lifetime and when I tried to explain what I was experiencing, they had no... Show More
    I wish I could give Dr. DeStefano 10 stars! I’ve been to several doctors in my lifetime and when I tried to explain what I was experiencing, they had no answers. Many said I was imagining it! I’ve know Dr. DeStefano for most of my life and would never have imagined that he would be the one to help me so much. He posted something about Visual Snow Syndrome on his personal page and I finally had a name for what I had. I reached out and asked him what he thought. He got me into see him that week and I went through a series of test to be diagnosed officially. He is so professional and kind and understanding in everything he does. Within a week, we discovered what greatly improved my symptoms and began treatment. I had been so worried about what was happening with my eyes but now, almost all my symptoms are gone and my quality of life is significantly improved. I can’t begin to thank him enough and highly recommend him for visual snow or even for anything eye related. He genuinely cares about his patients!!
    - Anam H. 1 month ago
    Dr. DeStefano is fantastic. He is thorough, explains everything very well, and genuinely cares about his patients. He goes the extra mile to help you! I have been struggling with... Show More
    Dr. DeStefano is fantastic. He is thorough, explains everything very well, and genuinely cares about his patients. He goes the extra mile to help you! I have been struggling with visual snow syndrome, and with Dr. DeStefano's help I have gotten to a point where I can function and manage the symptoms so I am capable of a normal life again. I could not be more grateful for my care here!
    - Jessica K. 1 month ago
    I did not receive services from VSTC, but Dr. Michael DeStefano was very generous with his time and discussed some medical concerns I was having over the phone. He is... Show More
    I did not receive services from VSTC, but Dr. Michael DeStefano was very generous with his time and discussed some medical concerns I was having over the phone. He is very knowledgable and understanding. If you or someone you know has any vision or visual snow related issues, this is the doctor you should go to.
    - Jesse G. 1 month ago
    I'm trying my best to put into words what their entire office has done for me. I'm in my mid 30's, I've seen loads of doctors and a majority... Show More
    I'm trying my best to put into words what their entire office has done for me. I'm in my mid 30's, I've seen loads of doctors and a majority of them were quick to misdiagnose and medicate. Then when I informed them "the meds aren't doing anything." The doctors would just brush my thoughts aside, I recently started seeing a new doctor within the last year. He immediately knew I had a neurological issue, he noticed I had a lot of "tics". Something I never could put into words... This doctor noticed I always wore sunglasses to his office and asked me on my third visit "does light bother you? Maybe do some digging into lights connection to your tics." I found Irlens syndrome by getting on a tourettes forum, many people on the forum stated that light made them tic. Something I have always had happen, my mom said I would scream and make noises as a infant when we went under flourescent lights. So she decided to put sunglasses and a hat on me and I would stop. This connection made total sense to me, but as fate would have it, Dr. Margolis wasn't who I was looking for... It was Doctor DeSteffano. Within a matter of a few minutes and three questions Dr. Margolis had a hunch it was visual snow syndrome. He handed my care off gracefully to Dr. DeStefano, who promptly sat me down and waved his hand in front of my face and said "do you see trails of my hand." I paused and looked at him, and Dr. Destefano knew immediately what was going on with my brain. He reassured me "it's alright. Do you see trails?" I said "yes...." in shock. Dr. DeStefano then held a piece of op-art in front of me and said "is this moving?" I gulped and then replied "yes... is it not supposed to move?" Dr. DeStefano then said "what colors do you see?" I paused and then replied "wait.... there aren't supposed to be other colors than black and white?" The doc then reassured me "go on and tell me what colors you see" " yellow, blue and orange/red." Dr. DeStefano then turned around said "here hold these over your eyes." It was a pair of tinted lenses, the colors stopped moving as much, I about panicked. The beams of light I see, the halos around the bulbs... The walls "moving" All of it calmed way down. And then my jaw released. I was in shock. Dr. DeStefano could tell and just looked at me and said "everything is going to be alright, you have visual snow syndrome." I tried to keep my composure, I live over five hours from their office and it just so happened that Dr. DeStefano had cancelations and offered to perform several visits to help speed up my healing. I agreed. The keyword is I tried to contain my composure. I eventually broke down crying because of the relief I experienced from; my jaw releasing, my headache subsiding, my muscles relaxing, my tics lessening and my balance issues disappearing, and zero anxiety, my breathing even normalized. Dr. Margolis then met with us and wanted to be filled in to see if there was anything he could help with. They both tweaked my pending scripts and then, they turned up the lights. My jaw didn't lock, my back didn't hurt, my anxiety was gone, I had minimal tics and I could walk down the hall without my special shoes. I just put on the glasses they had made for me, and broke down crying... This is what the world is supposed to look like? I'm not supposed to tic when lights turn off and on? There aren't auras shooting across my field of view? The floating orbs I see have minimized? This is what humans are supposed to see? I then sat down and watched some cartoons and the static I experience was non existent. I didn't know images on certain shows were supposed to appear 3d, they've always been flat for me. I was a patient care tech and phlebotomist and I worked nights to cope. I always worked nights while I worked jobs my entire life. When day light hit and started flooding into patient rooms I would of course put sun glasses. I found ways to cope, but didnt have a answer, now i do. This offices care is amazing! This is new for me. Love and light to you all! Ps, thank you Jackie! 🙏🏻🧘‍♂️
    - Edward T. 2 months ago
    The staff and doctor were so sensitive and helpful… such lovely bedside manner and so knowledgeable in their field to help fix the double vision I currently suffer from recently... Show More
    The staff and doctor were so sensitive and helpful… such lovely bedside manner and so knowledgeable in their field to help fix the double vision I currently suffer from recently the aneurysm I suffered recently this Jan 2nd… am so happy the doctors and NCH therapist recommended Dr Neil Margolis and his practice. Same day from all their tests sent me home with glasses temporarily fixed with temporary prisms to help me see single vs double 😊❣️
    - Marie C. 2 months ago
    My son has a complex history and multiple vision issues, including Visual Snow Syndrome and a pretty significant eye drift. We traveled from Michigan to have my son see Dr.... Show More
    My son has a complex history and multiple vision issues, including Visual Snow Syndrome and a pretty significant eye drift. We traveled from Michigan to have my son see Dr. DeStefano. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. Dr. DeStefano and the entire staff are wonderful. The care he received was beyond all expectations. Dr. DeStefano spent a lot of time on the phone with my son before we even scheduled the appointment to evaluate his needs. After many tests and experiments with various treatments, he had glasses made for my son that greatly improved not only his vision, but his quality of life and self-esteem. The glasses make his drifting eye stay in line and focus. It's incredible. The glasses also helped my son regain his lost sense of balance and has diminished the Visual Snow. We look forward to continuing his relationship with them to see what else they can accomplish in the future.
    - Cindy R. 2 months ago
    Highly recommend Dr. Mike. He did a great job of keeping the therapy process fun and enjoyable for our son.
    - Matthew N. 3 months ago
    Dr DeStefano was excellent in his diagnosis and care. Went the extra mile i so appreciated that.
    - Torri P. 4 months ago
    I recently had the privilege of being under the care of Dr. DeStefano for the treatment of Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS) onset following a concussion, and I cannot express enough... Show More
    I recently had the privilege of being under the care of Dr. DeStefano for the treatment of Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS) onset following a concussion, and I cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional care and expertise I received. I am grateful for the empathy the team expressed in helping me make sense of VSS, despite this condition being uncommon in the medical literature. While the condition remains incurable at this time, Dr. DeStefano's passion for furthering the treatment of VSS is evident. The lenses he prescribed have been helpful in alleviating light sensitivity when looking at screens and have significantly improved the sensation as though I am falling to one side or through a vortex. While this may have not directly impacted the appearance of the VSS associated "static/snow", these lenses have helped make daily tasks more manageable by decreasing other post concussive/VSS symptoms. I'm certain that the second any literature regarding a cure for VSS is published, this team will have it covered immediately! Thank you for all your help and kindness.
    - Sylvia O. 4 months ago
    I have a relatively rare condition named Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS). It’s been 12 long and horrible years of suffering so far, and worse still I never even had a... Show More
    I have a relatively rare condition named Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS). It’s been 12 long and horrible years of suffering so far, and worse still I never even had a diagnosis— no name for my condition. I’d like to qualify this by saying I believe I have a particularly debilitating case (strong 24/7 static covering my entire visual field, vertigo/dizziness, double vision, after images, extreme depersonalisation and derealization, and photophobia that affects my ability to function significantly). Dr. Michael Destefano at this practice has been a ‘God send’. Before ever even meeting me, and without me paying a dime to this group, he took my call and spent close to an hour on the phone with me. He spent this time reassuring me that I WAS NOT IMAGINING this (as many doctors have subtly implied through lack of understanding over the years), and truly listening to my history in full. He took detailed notes and relayed everything back to me. I don’t think I’ve had any type of doctor be so attentive, time-generous, and authentically compassionate. This guy gets it. If you feel jaded from this condition, and as hopeless as I did, please know there IS a path to improving your quality of life via vision therapy at this clinic. I was thoroughly assessed in person. Of course my actual eyesight is absolutely fine, and I bet yours is too. In saying that, I got the answers I desperately needed, and a treatment plan was created for me. It’s been about 3-4 weeks now and I can safely say that though majorly skeptical initially, I am receiving some truly helpful and practical therapy which is measurably improving some of my symptoms. Yesterday I picked up the custom glasses Dr. Destefano prescribed me. They are prism lenses with a personalized tint, and well, I feel shaky just writing this…in the best way! They ACTUALLY work. They reduce my visual static significantly, and have somehow made my vision so crisp/in-focus as it used to be, that I pulled over my car on the drive home to email Dr. Destefano in disbelief. Over time wearing these glasses, the possibility exists that my brain will become retrained to want to see this way all the time. I want to make it clear that at no point have I been guaranteed a cure. Anyone who promises you that can eat rocks for lying to you. Dr. Destefano did however promise me that he could improve things at the very least, and on that he has already delivered. The therapy itself is ongoing, and it is hard work— which must be committed to both in-office and at home. You can email Dr. Destefano literally whenever and he’ll generally get back to you anywhere from 10 minutes (!!!) to end of day. You have his full support and attention, this man is not your average doctor. Lastly, my rehab therapist actually had VSS herself once upon a time. This floored me. I’ve never met anyone in person who shares my condition. She understands SO much about what I’m struggling with and how to make my sessions most effective. I finally feel understood by a real person. Please do yourself a favor and just call Dr. Destefano, speak with him, and try to re-open your mind to the possibility that you can be helped. The overwhelming majority of his patients now are VSS sufferers— this should tell you a lot. If you’re reading this, I’m so sorry you share my condition and wish you the absolute best. You are not alone ♥️
    - Natalie W. 5 months ago