What is Vision Therapy?

Dr. Hock received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University and his doctorate degree in 1995 from Pacific University College of Optometry in Oregon, where he was distinguished with the Butterworth-Heinemann Award for Clinical Excellence in Vision Therapy. As a member of the American Optometric Association and the Colorado Optometric Association, he serves as a committee member on the Children’s Vision Task Force and participates as an InfantSee Provider and in the Sight for Students Program.

Valerie Minch brings a unique skill set to our vision therapy team. She studied Physics and received a BS in Psychology during her undergraduate education, and later pursued her Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She has 10 years of experience in the classroom allowing her to offer advice for classroom modifications, IEP meetings, as well as reading strategies. Valerie is also an optician, which combined with her experience as a teacher, gives her a strong and effective understanding of how vision affects the learning process and how to address visual needs of patients as a Vision Therapist. Valerie loves the outdoors, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and birding. She lives in Evergreen with her 2 children and elderly whippet named Ivan.

Our learning center is headed up by Donna Hanisch, a retired teacher with over 30 years of experience (25 of them spent in Jefferson County), she has a master’s degree in reading and specializes in phonemic awareness, comprehension and fluency. She and her husband Bob have raised their 5 children in Evergreen and all have graduated from Evergreen and Conifer High Schools. She loves helping children whether they are needing additional help or enriching their skills because she loves to see children that are successful and love to learn.