Nearly seventy years of "more than 20/20."
Walesby Vision Center was doing vision therapy decades before most people had heard the words. Here's the story — and the people doing the work today.
Founded 1957. Still family-built.
Dr. John “Jack” Walesby, Sr. established the practice in 1957, doing vision therapy with one therapist and four to six patients a day alongside comprehensive eye care for the whole family. His son, Dr. Rob Walesby, joined him in 1992. Dr. Walesby, Sr. retired in 2001, and in 2006 Dr. Nicholas Thomas joined the practice, becoming Clinical Director of Vision Therapy.
The practice outgrew one office and opened the Lutz office in January 2015 to serve families in the northern counties; the second office now operates in Oldsmar. Today the team treats roughly 40 therapy patients a day — and the doctors still do hands-on therapy themselves.
Nicholas Thomas, O.D., F.C.O.V.D.
Dr. Thomas is a fellowship-trained, board-certified Behavioral Optometrist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of binocular vision dysfunctions. He earned his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences from the University of South Florida (2003) and his Doctor of Optometry from the Indiana University School of Optometry (2007). Since 2007 he has worked exclusively in binocular vision, earning his Fellowship from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development in 2011.
Dr. Thomas manages and treats approximately 40 patients daily. Outside the office he's with his wife, kids and friends — cooking out and playing whatever sport is in season.
Sight is the eye chart. Vision is everything after it.
Our doctors are pediatric specialists and Behavioral Optometrists: they look past whether a patient can read letters at distance (sight) to how well the whole visual system can locate, acquire, and process information and turn it into meaning (vision). That difference is why children who "pass" eye exams still end up in our therapy room — and why they leave it reading.
The people your child will high-five on graduation day.
Two offices built for this work.
What every patient in our program can count on.
The doctors and therapists at Walesby Vision Center are dedicated to ensuring that every patient who enters our program achieves and maintains the best visual system they are capable of. Our mission, in our words:
TO MAXIMIZE the efficiency of our patients’ visual skills and eliminate any undue stress on their visual system.
TO IMPROVE the quality of life of each patient by reducing eyestrain, improving performance, enhancing self-esteem, reducing time spent on homework and improving study skills.
TO ENSURE poor visual skills do not prevent our patients from achieving their God-given potential so they are able to accomplish whatever they dream in life.
TO STRIVE continuously at enhancing our knowledge, allowing us the confidence and skill for providing our patients with the best care possible.
TO EDUCATE our patients about the use of proper visual hygiene.