Dr. Gary J. Williams OD, PC

04/22/2026

Children who are not ready for what is being presented in the classroom tend to become overwhelmed and confused. What appears to be attentional deficit may be what happens to all of us when we are overwhelmed.

Behaviors and abilities which develop are highly dependent on maturation and experiential learning. These are non-academic readiness skills for life and the classroom. The variability of developmen…

04/01/2026

Good morning all! We wanted everyone in Owego to be aware of, and spare the time if you would, to take part in the rotary club's survey. It would help everyone out so much!

"The Owego Rotary Club would like to hear from community members about the types of services and programs you think we need here in Tioga County. We are a group of community members who want to serve the area and see it thrive, so we need your input to make sure we know what's most important.

The survey shouldn't take more than 5 minutes of your time. All respondents will be entered into a drawing for one of two $50 Visa gift cards. Please respond by April 30th!"

The Owego Rotary is full of members, who are a mix of young and old from a variety of backgrounds and professions. We all share a wish to be of service to our community and we recognize the value of acquaintance in building a network of support and of personal and professional friendship. We focus o...

03/24/2026

Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of humans is not language, consciousness, or opposable thumbs but our adaptability, but there are limits.

We emphasized the importance of good visual hygiene with patients 50 years ago. Concerns about television viewing, quality of dittos, classroom lighting, reading and writing posture, pencil grip, a…

03/10/2026

Visual Perception

Visual information acquisition is highly dependent on focus, precise eye alignment, the ability to follow a moving object accurately, quick and accurate tracking across a page, and scanning. All eye movements other than reflexive movements caused by potential threats require the coordination of top-down (efferent) and bottom-up (afferent) communication. This coordination is learned through the failures and successes of purposeful experience.

https://gwilliamsfamilyeye.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQc-ElleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF1SzJKVjBtNFRBemVPTnNSc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgCbTRtqwK1xHsY8jP3DRNCZKRnOSm0mCComVD3wJuC40EIgvh2G2YCWETlU_aem_ctNDw0YKY9_Z5uf1Z_Mj6A

02/06/2026

The profile in this week’s New York Times Book Review section is on Dav Pilkey. If you are looking for good news, I recommend that you start here.

01/23/2026

In 2025, the New York Department of Education directed schools to use “The Science of Reading” to address the disappointing reading scores of our students. Because we work with children who have learning-related vision problems, I took “The Science of Reading Fundamentals” course which is offered through SUNY New Paltz to see how “SoR” may impact students’ vision.

Labeling this program as the science of reading is disingenuous. The science referenced is selective.

12/02/2025

Our office will be closed the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Christmas, the afternoon of New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. We hope everyone has a lovely and safe holiday!

10/03/2025

While we may yearn for simple answers, simple answers are rarely solely adequate for complicated systems. For example, if we simplify the definition of vision to “the ability to read letters on a chart across the room”, vision has little correlation with learning to read or reading effectively. The reality differs with a fuller understanding of how we read and of vision.

While we may yearn for simple answers, simple answers are rarely solely adequate for complicated systems. For example, if we simplify the definition of vision to “the ability to read letters on a c…

09/26/2025

Chris van Tulleken has a medical degree from Oxford and a PhD in molecular virology. He is an associate professor at University College London and a practicing physician. Towards the end of the book, the author has listed the science behind how ultra-processed food affects the human body.

Chris van Tulleken has a medical degree from Oxford and a PhD in molecular virology. He is an associate professor at University College London and a practicing physician. Towards the end of the boo…

08/27/2025

The following is from The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen, a surprise resource for information about vision, attention, and perception.

08/08/2025

Over the coming weeks, our office will be closed at the following times:

Friday, 8/08 after 12:00PM
Thursday, 8/14 after 12:00PM
Friday, 8/22 all day
Tuesday, 8/26 all day
Wednesday, 8/27 we open at 1PM
Friday, 8:29 all day
Tuesday, 09/02 all day
Thursday, 09/04 all day

We apologize for any inconvenience.

08/08/2025

Visual crowding creates problems for all readers, especially emerging readers, whether reading from paper or electronic screens.