‘She Just Wants to ‘See Better,’ So, She Went to the Mind-Eye

She simply wants to see better – without her eyeglasses.

That’s why 20-year-old Matea Peric of Glenview, Illinois contacted the Mind-Eye Institute in the nearby Chicago suburb of Northbrook. And, frankly, she says now she could not be happier, especially being under the care of an optometrist with more than 70 years of work in the field.

“I have worn glasses since I was 8 or 9 years old, and I am hoping to strengthen my eyes so that eventually I don’t need glasses,” says Matea, who indicates she can see well up close, but not so clearly at distances.

In fact, thanks to regular testing and a series of eyeglasses prescribed by the Institute’s Daniel Nast, OD, Matea has already experienced “some small, but meaningful,” improvements in eyesight even though she just started regular appointments at the Mind-Eye in November 2018.

With each new set of lenses, “Dr. Nast has been able to reduce the intensity of my prescription,” Matea says.

Formerly a clinical center called the Mind-Eye Connection, the Mind-Eye Institute was formally established in 2018. Its goals are to expand scientific knowledge and increase public awareness of the pivotal role visual processing plays in other sensory and motor systems. The Institute also wants to create an international network of optometrists trained in the advance diagnosis and treatment techniques of neuro-optometric rehabilitation.

Deborah Zelinsky, OD, founder of Mind-Eye, now serves as research director of the Institute. She is recognized worldwide for her ground-breaking clinical research, which has revolutionized scientific understanding of the impact retinal processing has on the mind and body by being a two-way portal.

Although much of the Institute’s focus is on assisting patients in recovery from traumatic brain injury, stroke or symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, a percentage of patients have learning and/or behavioral problems and are working to develop needed visual skills. The Mind-Eye team also is involved in helping patients — such as Matea –improve visual efficiency, with or without glasses, so that they can fully use their peripheral and central eyesight.

“When I first came to the Mind-Eye Institute, I told Dr. Zelinsky that I wanted to strengthen my eyesight – just see better,” Matea recalls. “That’s when Dr. Zelinsky recommended [colleague] Dr. Nast as ‘the way to go to learn better visual skills.’”

And, Matea does not regret taking Dr. Zelinsky’s advice, praising both Dr. Nast’s approach to patient care and his personality.

At 100 years old, Dr. Nast has more than the average lifetime of knowledge in his field, and, despite the 80 years difference between him and his patient, Matea says, “I love him. He is such a great doctor; he always makes me laugh!”