VTOD.org Editorial: A View from the Ivory Basement (November 2008)

Bill B. Rainey, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVDA, VTOD.org Editor and Administrator

Just what IS "VTOD"? (and how do you spell it?)

I've been an optometrist for over 23 years, much longer than many of my professional colleagues, but much less than many others. Much has changed in optometry over the past 23 years, and in the 23 years that preceded those. But one distinctive attribute has remained constant. The profession of optometry is comprised of a family of tens of thousands of dedicated and caring individuals who share a common goal: To provide the highest quality of eye and vision care to all people. Yes, optometrists even have a professional oath, with the same intent and purpose as that of Hippocrates, and a Code of Ethics that guides their medical decisions and patient relationships.

Optometrists, like other health care providers, may develop expertise in order to specialize in a particular area of care such as Pediatrics, Contact Lenses, Ocular Disease, or Low Vision. Some daring optometrists choose to develop their interest and clinical skills in a specialty called "Optometric Vision Therapy". In doing so, they are frequently faced with unanswered questions and relentless questioners, fair and unfair skepticism, and inter- and intra-professional controversy. Parents, students, teachers, and others can, unfortunately, become caught in the middle of such controversies, but that is a topic for another day.

VTOD ('VT' is "Vision Therapy" and 'OD' is "Doctor of Optometry") was initially created as a LISTSERV email distribution list in the Spring of 2001 to meet what I saw as a clear and unmet need for a unified electronic communication medium allowing optometrists with a common interest to share ideas and freely and openly exchange information and opinions. Until July of this year, I have had the gracious cooperation and support of my academic institutions in obtaining the necessary technical resources.

Despite not having access to these resources after leaving optometry school faculty this summer, I still had a strong desire to continue the VTOD concept. I temporarily took advantage of a "free" third party commercial internet service to keep the VTOD list alive for two months. I was not comfortable with this arrangement for several reasons, and I sought a professionally and personally appropriate alternative. It became clear to me that the most logical course of action was to keep the spirit of VTOD free from any formal professional affiliations, obligations, or any other relationships that may inhibit the open-minded and unrestricted dialogue between list members. The positive and supportive reactions of the vast majority of previous and current VTOD list members over the years have encouraged and enabled me to create such an environment. VTOD.org now exists as a virtual dedicated computer server, hosting this website, a professional email service, and the original VTOD email distribution list. The continuing support of dedicated stakeholders will allow for system maintenance, licensing, and further expansion of this important Internet presence.

In order for optometric vision therapy services to continue to be readily available to those who need it, individual health care providers and professional organizations must cooperate, communicate, and collaborate, rather than engage in non-productive and divisive bickering and posturing. It would take a huge amount of bandwidth to list all, but creative and effective organizations such as the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), the American Optometric Association (AOA), the American Public Health Association (APHA), the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO), the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF), the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO), and the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), have long and distinguished histories as proponents of high quality health care. However, much more needs to be done to meet the unmet needs of the optometry patient population, especially the needs of children and adults who would benefit from optometric vision therapy. It is my sincere hope that VTOD will contribute in a significant and productive way to this vital endeavor.

Please take a few minutes to look over the VTOD.org website. As you will quickly discover, it is not complete, but is a work in progress. The website will be continually reviewed, updated, and expanded. Be sure to read Dr. Dave Goss' excellent description of Optometric Vision Therapy on this website. This thorough review and objective analysis can be found on the VTOD.org Home Page. Thank you, Dr. Goss, for your usual keen and comprehensive insight. And, I am *always* interested in comments, questions, or concerns related to vision therapy. Feel free to email me at vtod@vtod.org. Thanks for visiting. I hope VTOD.org is of benefit to you, and that you will return often.

Dr. Bill Rainey (aka Brainey)