Opto-mization Optometry and Vision Therapy

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Opto-mization Optometry and Vision Therapy

Your Journey to Optimal Vision Starts Here. We look at how the eyes & brain work together so you can unlock your full visual potential.

https://linktr.ee/optomization More than 20/20

Throughout school Dr. McCrodan always had an interest in working with cases that involved higher level processing. After graduation he really found his calling while sitting in on a followup appointment at a colleague’s office. The appointment involved a 50 year-old male who had been successfully treated for a reading/learning disability. The cause of this was an underlying eye movement and processing problem. As the patient described his experience through the program he stated:

“I used to think I didn’t like to read because I was stupid. Now I know it was a problem with my eyes.”

This was a very powerful statement and started Dr. McCrodan along the path of continued education. Years later, Dr. McCrodan is now proud to offer vision therapy in Victoria. He works with patients of all ages and abilities and finds the work truly rewarding. To book an appointment, visit the contact us page. Dr. McCrodan is both a developmental and behavioural optometrist. The behavioural aspect takes into account how various visual skills and lenses will impact the behaviour of a person. In cases of academic avoidance or struggle in children or adults, the behavioural issues are usually secondary to an underlying visual problem. Developmental optometry takes into account the proven fact that visual skills are developed over time and are not innate at birth. In some cases these skills either don’t develop properly, or they may be damaged such as in brain injury. Developmental optometry is concerned with ensuring that these skills are present, and ensuring the lacking skills are developed. Dr. McCrodan is proud to bring both developmental and behavioural optometry to Victoria. Dr. McCrodan is proud to be an active part of the Victoria community. He has volunteered with many local charities over the years, and routinely speaks at schools, and to other health professional groups to build understanding and awareness.

08/31/2025

Seeing clearly is only part of learning.
In class, your child’s eyes and brain must work together every second to:

Track smoothly across the page while reading
Copy from the board to their notebook without losing place
Team both eyes so words stay single and attention stays steady
Shift focus quickly in a busy classroom

When this system struggles, kids may still “pass” a vision screening but reading feels harder, focus slips, and they come home exhausted after simple schoolwork.

At Opto-mization, our exams go beyond clarity to uncover how the eyes and brain coordinate for learning. Because vision is more than 20/20.

Book your child’s functional vision exam today.

08/30/2025

Ever felt foggy or overwhelmed in a busy grocery store, concert, or downtown?
It’s not always just stress. Sometimes it’s how your eyes and brain are working together.

When that process struggles, you may notice:
Sensitivity to lights or motion
Dislike or overstimulation in busy places
Fatigue after busy environments

This isn’t just about eyesight. It’s about how efficiently your brain filters visual input. At Opto-mization, our exams go beyond clarity to uncover hidden reasons for fatigue and overwhelm.

👉 Book your functional vision exam today.

08/28/2025

Most people think vision is all about the eyes.

But here’s the truth: you not only see with your eyes, but also your brain. Your eyes act like cameras, capturing information. But your brain does the real work — focusing, tracking, and aligning both eyes in perfect timing, thousands of times per second. Every blink, glance, or shift of your gaze depends on that coordination.

When this system slips, you may still see “clearly” on a chart but the experience doesn’t feel right. Words seem to move or blur when reading, screens leave you drained far too quickly, driving at night feels tense and uncomfortable or headaches and dizziness show up without a clear cause.

These aren’t just annoyances. They’re signs that your visual system isn’t working as efficiently as it should. And because clarity alone doesn’t measure how well your eyes and brain coordinate, these issues often go unnoticed.

At Opto-mization, our exams go deeper. We look at how your eyes and brain work together in real time — to uncover the hidden inefficiencies that affect daily life. Because vision isn’t just about seeing clearly; it’s about seeing comfortably and confidently.

If this feels familiar, it may be time to look deeper than 20/20. Book your Comprehensive Eye Exam today.

08/27/2025

When we think about memory and learning, we rarely think about vision. But the truth is: your eyes don’t work alone.

Every piece of information you take in visually has to be processed, stored, and linked by the brain. This brain-eye connection is what allows a child to not only see words on a page, but also remember and recall them later.

When that connection isn’t efficient, learning can feel harder than it should. Children may forget words they just read, struggle to recall information, or feel like nothing “sticks”. Even when their eyesight is perfectly clear.

That’s why at Opto-mization, our exams go beyond checking for 20/20 vision. We test how the brain and eyes work together, uncovering the hidden reasons why memory and learning might feel like a challenge.

Because vision isn’t just about what you see — it’s about how well your brain makes sense of it.

Book your child’s Comprehensive Eye Exam today.

08/27/2025

Your eyes don’t just see. They gather information like cameras. But it’s your brain that brings the picture into focus. When everything works smoothly, it feels effortless. But when the eyes and brain aren’t fully in sync, the world can feel off.

That’s when people describe things like:

Words jumping or blurring
Headaches or fatigue from screens or reading
Feeling dizzy or overwhelmed in busy places

It’s not just about seeing clearly. It’s about seeing comfortably and in coordination.

At Opto-mization, we measure how well your eyes work together and how well your brain processes vision because true vision goes far beyond 20/20.

Book your functional vision exam today.
Because your brain doesn’t just rely on your eyes. Your life does.

08/25/2025

Does your child read a word correctly once… and then stumble over it again a few lines later?

This isn’t about memory or intelligence. It’s about eye tracking — the precise movements the eyes make to follow words smoothly across a page. When tracking is off, the eyes may skip, backtrack, or lose their place. That makes even familiar words feel “new” each time, and reading becomes frustrating instead of fluent.

At Opto-mization, our Comprehensive Eye Exams go beyond clarity to measure how the eyes move, track, and coordinate. Because when the eyes move efficiently, reading becomes easier, smoother, and more consistent.

📍 Book your child’s exam today and find out if tracking is holding them back.

08/22/2025

Some kids start reading enthusiastically, but by the bottom of the page they’re squirming, re-reading, or zoning out.

It’s easy to assume this is an attention problem but often, it’s about visual stamina.

Reading isn’t just seeing words. It’s a sequence of precise eye movements: focusing on each word, tracking smoothly across the page, and shifting to the next line without losing place. When those systems fatigue, it can look like distraction or disinterest, when in reality their eyes are simply working overtime.

This week, we’re unpacking how eye tracking impacts learning, comfort, and confidence in kids and how a comprehensive eye exam and vision therapy can reveal and improve struggles behind the behaviour.

Stay tuned for more.

08/22/2025

Reading is more than just seeing the words on a page — it’s about how the eyes and brain work together to move through those words accurately and efficiently.

For fluent reading to happen, the brain must control a precise sequence of eye movements:
📍 Fixating on each word
📍 Tracking smoothly from left to right
📍 Shifting to the next line without losing place

When eye tracking is inefficient, these movements become unstable. The eyes may jump, skip lines, or backtrack unpredictably. The result?
• Inconsistent word recognition
• Letter reversals (e.g., “bed” read as “deb”)
• Frequent rereading or skipped lines
• Difficulty remembering words they just read
• Frustration or avoidance of reading

This isn’t a learning disorder or attention problem — it’s a functional vision issue. And it can happen even when eyesight is perfectly clear.

At Opto-mization, we assess these underlying visual skills using advanced tools — not just a letter chart.

Book your Comprehensive Eye Exam today to uncover whether tracking and visual coordination are making reading harder than it needs to be.

08/19/2025

Coordination needs coordinates.
And vision provides them.

When the eyes work together properly, they send the brain the right “coordinates” or information about where things are in space. That’s what helps kids…

✅ Move with confidence
✅ Judge distances accurately
✅ Catch balls, avoid obstacles, and navigate their day with ease

But when eye coordination or visual processing is off, those spatial coordinates can be off, too, which can throw off coordination.

It might look like:
🚫 Tripping or bumping into things
🚫 Trouble with sports or play
🚫 Avoiding active games
🚫 Seeming “clumsy” or unsure

It’s not always about strength or balance. Sometimes, it’s about how the visual system is guiding the body.

At Opto-mization, we assess how the eyes and brain work together to support confident, coordinated movement because vision is more than seeing clearly.

08/18/2025

Just because someone looks “checked out” doesn’t mean they’re tired or unfocused.

In reality, the brain works hard to interpret visual information — directing your eyes where to look, coordinating balance, and filtering distractions, all at once. When that system struggles, it can mimic signs of burnout, ADHD, or even low motivation.

You might hear:
🗯 “I can’t focus anymore.”
🗯 “I keep zoning out.”
🗯 “My eyes feel fine… but I still get headaches.”

These aren’t just throwaway complaints. They could point to underlying visual processing strain — especially if standard eye tests come back “normal.”

At Opto-mization, we help uncover the how behind these struggles. Not just what you see, but how well your eyes and brain work together.

If something still doesn’t add up — in your partner, or even yourself — it might be time to look deeper.

Keywords: Functional vision, Visual processing, Brain-eye connection, Binocular vision dysfunction (BVD), Eye tracking issues, Focus problems, Reading fatigue, Screen fatigue, Vision-related headaches, Visual stamina, Cognitive load, ADHD-like symptoms, Zoning out, Visual discomfort, Eye-brain coordination, Neuro-optometry, Beyond 20/20, Comprehensive eye exam, Brain-based vision, Hidden vision problems

08/17/2025

Ever wonder why you still feel visual strain, dizziness, or focus issues — even with 20/20 vision?
It’s because seeing clearly isn’t the end of the story. It’s only the beginning.

Vision is a brain-based process. Your eyes take in visual information, but it’s your brain that interprets, organizes, and integrates that input — guiding how you move, read, react, and function. And all of that happens in milliseconds, every second of your day.

But when that system isn’t working efficiently — when your eyes and brain aren’t perfectly in sync — symptoms can sneak in:
▪️ Words blur or jump when reading
▪️ Screens feel draining after minutes
▪️ You get overwhelmed in busy environments
▪️ You’re told it’s stress or fatigue — but something still feels off

At Opto-mization, we go deeper than standard sight tests. We assess the entire brain-eye relationship through our Comprehensive Eye Exams — revealing hidden inefficiencies that affect real life. Then we train the visual system to work better, not just see clearer.
Because when your brain sees better, your whole life feels better.

Let’s look beyond clarity. Book your assessment with Opto-mization today.

08/16/2025

Some behaviours aren’t what they seem.
A child who covers one eye when reading…
A student who leans in or squints at the board…
A teen who avoids sports or gets dizzy in the car…

It’s easy to label these as clumsy, distracted, or “not trying hard enough.”
But in many cases, the root cause is functional — not behavioural.
It's how the visual system is (or isn't) working together with the brain.

Struggles with tracking, eye teaming, and visual stability can show up in ways that look like poor attention or low motivation — especially when the eyes appear “fine” in a standard exam.
But when we test how the eyes move, align, and support spatial awareness, a different story often emerges.

That’s why our Comprehensive Eye Exams go beyond clarity.
We look at the mechanics behind how vision supports learning, movement, and everyday comfort — so we can uncover what’s quietly been missed.

If something feels off, trust what you’re noticing.
Let’s look deeper.

Book your Comprehensive Eye Exam today. (Link in bio)

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Address

775 Topaz Avenue #200
Victoria, BC
V8T4Z7

Telephone

+12505907384

Website

https://optomize.ca/

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