Eye Site

"When we started out in Katy, it was a really small location," Harrison said. "We kind of started it almost as an experiment just to see, and it really took off and got busy."

The doctors help patients with vision concerns, but their expertise does not stop there. The technology in the Eye Site office has helped Harrison and O'Neill discover signs of cancerous tumors and conditions such as diabetes and glaucoma in patients that may have previously gone undetected.

"By catching [a condition or tumor] early, they are able to treat it more successfully," O'Neill said. "It's not every day that happens, but when it happens, it's nice for a patient to be able to garner that information from an eye exam. Potentially it's lifesaving if you do find something like that."

Dr. Abby Henderson specializes in helping patients through a vision therapy program at Eye Site that she describes as "physical therapy for the eyes." She said 17 of the 19 markers for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder overlap with visual symptoms, so often there might be an underlying vision issue in patients who have a type of Attention Deficit Disorder.

"I think it's very important that children have their eyes examined before school starts," Henderson said. "I know that not everybody is starting kindergarten this year, but just in general if you've never had an eye exam, [the time] before school starts is a great time to check to make sure that your eye health is where it should be."

Although the business specializes in eye care, Eye Site has managed to sustain a solid presence out in the community over the years. Eye Site partners with VSP, a vision service provider company, and Katy ISD to provide free eye exams and glasses for students. In addition to daily work duties, the doctors and employees regularly attend student sporting activities and raise money for research by participating in the Multiple Sclerosis 150 bike ride each year.

With an expanding patient base attributed to word of mouth in the community, O'Neil said the business has plans to add a new location near Katy in the next year or two.

"That's pretty much what our practice is built on is repeat patients and people coming back because they liked us," he said. "That's really Katy. If you're not taking care of people, you're not going to do well."

Vision Therapy

Vision therapy evaluates the entire visual system and incorporates testing on focusing, hand-eye coordination, eye muscle movement and visual information processing, said Dr. Abby Henderson. "It's how the body uses the eye and interprets the information it's given," she said.

Vision therapy begins with a complete eye exam and can be effective at any age, Thompson said

The therapy can help with a variety of issues, including headaches, blurry vision while reading, motion sickness, car sickness, lazy eye, Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Thompson said sometimes ADD and ADHD are misdiagnosed because of an underlying eye issue that leads a child to be inattentive or disruptive in class

One-hour weekly vision therapy sessions work on strengthening eye focusing, helping with eye teaming, reducing double vision and working with eye-hand coordination

Therapy includes a variety of exercises such as writing or throwing a ball

Services offered

Comprehensive eye care

Eye exams

Contact lens fitting

Same day glasses exam and fitting

Diagnostic testing

Vision Therapy program

Treatment for macular degeneration, glaucoma, flashes, floaters and dry eye

Partnership with other local doctors like retina specialists for procedures, including LASIK and cataract surgery

Partnership with a Vision Service Provider company to provide free eye exams and glasses for students through Katy ISD

Sponsor students during the year

Community involvement with sporting activities, including basketball and cheerleading and participation in Multiple Sclerosis 150 bike ride each year

Eye Site

24217 Kingsland Blvd.

Katy 281-644-2010

www.eyesitetexas.com

Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Sun. closed