Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation at Excel

03/19/2026

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a small, intimate, and informative evening with doctors, therapists and industry professionals to share more about what we do at Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation and how we are helping the TBI population.

Events like this are one of our favorite ways to connect with the medical community — through these smaller, conversational, hands-on demonstrations, where we create a place for shared learning opportunities.

These conversations are important. Many patients struggling with post-brain-injury symptoms don’t realize that vision may be part of the problem, and collaboration between specialties helps those patients find answers faster.

Our guests had the opportunity to:

• Learn more about neuro-optometric rehabilitation and how vision can play a big part in recovery for the TBI patient population

• Experience some of the tools and technology we use with patients

• Ask questions about the visual challenges patients experience after brain injury

• Learn how vision rehabilitation can play a role in recovery

Thank you to everyone who joined us. We truly appreciate the opportunity to share our work and build relationships that ultimately help patients receive the care they need.

03/04/2026

We can often spend hours a day on screens — phones, tablets, computers, TVs. Over time, that exposure can lead to dry eyes, headaches, blurry vision, and even disrupted sleep. The good news? There are simple steps you can take to protect your eyes:

1) Use Night Mode / Blue Light Filters

Most phones, tablets, and computers have:
Night Shift (Apple)
Night Light (Windows)
Blue light filter settings on Android

These shift the screen to warmer tones, especially helpful in the evening to protect sleep.

2) The 20-20-20 Rule
Every 20 minutes:
Look at something 20 feet away
For at least 20 seconds

But, newer research advocates for longer breaks and suggests every 30 minute take a 5 minute break. This reduces digital eye strain and relaxes focusing muscles.

3) Lower Screen Brightness

Your screen should not be brighter than the room around you.
If your screen feels like a flashlight in your face… it’s too bright.

4) Increase Text Size

Don’t strain to read small fonts.
Larger text = less squinting = less eye fatigue.

5) Adjust Lighting Around You

Avoid:
Overhead fluorescent lights
Harsh 5000K–6500K “daylight” bulbs in the evening

Choose:
Warm LED bulbs (2700K–3000K)
Soft ambient lighting

6) Limit Screens 1–2 Hours Before Bed

Blue light can suppress melatonin.
Reducing evening exposure supports better sleep cycles.

7) Consider Quality Blue-Light Filtering Lenses (If Recommended)

For people with:
Light sensitivity
Brain injury
Migraines
Visual fatigue

Specialized filters may help — but they should be personalized, not one-size-fits-all.

If you’re experiencing persistent visual fatigue, light sensitivity, or headaches, it may be more than just “too much screen time.”

We’re here to help and just a phone call away. 586-731-9725.

02/17/2026

Testimonial Tuesday is our favorite day of the week! Real patients. Real progress. We’re so grateful when patients take the time to share their journey with us. 💙

02/14/2026

02/11/2026

At Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation, we believe patients deserve options and flexibility when it comes to care — and that includes how you pay.

That’s why we’re excited to now offer Cherry financing as a payment option!

Cherry allows you to:

✔️ Break payments into 4 interest-free payments or pay monthly with qualifying 0% APR options

✔️ Finance 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, or 48-month options

✔️ Apply in seconds

✔️ NO hard credit check

This is just another way we’re working to make care more accessible and patient-centered. If you have questions about what financing looks like for you visit this link to see more information. https://www.excelvisiontherapy.com/payment-plans

02/04/2026

Many adults live for years with visual processing challenges without having a name for what they’re experiencing. These shown here in our graphic are some of the symptoms they may be experiencing.

Others tell us, “I can see fine, but something just feels off.” These symptoms aren’t about blurry eyesight — they’re about how the brain processes visual information.

Recognizing these signs is often the first step toward getting the right care. At Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation, we specialize in helping patients identify and treat visual processing dysfunction through comprehensive neuro-optometric evaluations and rehabilitation. With the right support, adults who have been silently coping for years often experience meaningful improvements in daily function and quality of life.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, learning more is a great place to start. Our website is filled with helpful information and our patient care coordinator is available by phone to answer any questions you have and discuss setting you or a loved one up with an appointment. Visit us at www.excelvisiontherapy.com or call us at 586-731-9725.

01/28/2026

Last weekend, Dr. Nichols and Dr. Gietzen attended the Michigan Vision Therapy Study Group in Grand Rapids. The weekend was filled with valuable information. Dr. Nichols discussed tracking difficulties after traumatic brain injury and the research behind it. He also showed objective data from our clinic and positive patient results from vision therapy and rehabilitation.

Call today if you have experienced reading or tracking difficulties after a or

01/28/2026

At Great Lakes Vision Rehabilitation, we use specialized technology called the VISUS Tracking Unit to objectively measure how a patient’s eyes track while reading. This allows us to see things that are often missed during a standard eye exam—such as skipped words, line jumps, regressions, inconsistent pacing, or poor integration between the eyes and the brain. These tracking patterns can make reading slow, exhausting, or frustrating for patients, even when their eyesight appears “clear”. The test is completely painless, non-invasive, and simply involves reading while the device monitors eye movements.

GLVR is one of the few clinics in the state offering this type of functional tracking assessment. The results give our doctors and therapists insight into how the visual system is performing during real-world tasks, especially for patients recovering from concussion, brain injury, stroke, or those who have long-standing visual processing difficulties. With this information, we can customize rehabilitation programs that strengthen tracking, improve reading endurance, and ultimately help patients get back to the activities that matter most.

For more information about our services, please visit www.excelvisiontherapy.com or call us at 586-731-9725.

01/20/2026

Every patient is different — and so are their visual challenges. That’s why our process begins with comprehensive testing to understand how your visual system is functioning. Based on those results, we make personalized recommendations that may include specialized therapy, or in some cases home strategies or referrals - all aimed to support real-life function and independence.

If you or someone you love has been told “everything looks normal” but still feels off visually… don’t give up. We see it every day, and there is a path forward. Call to schedule your evaluation today!

01/15/2026

Today we hope you will join us in wishing a big Happy Birthday to Dr. Gietzen! 🎂🎉 We hope you have an incredible day today Dr. G!

01/12/2026

In the past it was believed there was a critical period for the visual system and that beyond the age of 6 years old no improvements could be achieved for those with visual dysfunction.

Unfortunately, some providers still abide by this dated evidence, and may discourage adults from performing therapy to improve or enhance their visual systems.

With the growing evidence in neuroplasticity and vision therapy/rehabilitation, it is never too late to make changes and provide the best visual system for maximum comfort. Even if as an adult you have previously done patching and failed with compliance, or had eye surgery, vision therapy may still be beneficial and the changes can improve your overall quality of life.

To learn more and schedule an appointment, please call our office and speak with our Patient Care Coordinator who is there to answer all of your questions.

01/09/2026

Our doctors will often recommend this book to parents, teachers and other doctors to help explain the connection between eyesight, education, and behaviors in children. It is a helpful resource to the following for these reasons:

TEACHERS - Discover a missing piece of the visual learning process. Help your students learn to see so they can see to learn. Reach those bright children who struggle to read. Understand the relationship between eye-teaming and stress in children.

PARENTS - Does your child struggle at school? Are they frustrated and have difficulty concentrating? Has your child been identified as having ADHD? Is your child on an IEP? Learn what else you can do to help them reach their potential.

DOCTORS- How does visual processing connect to ADHD and other learning challenges in children?

To get a proper diagnosis of your child's visual system we recommend a Complete Vision Evaluation here at GLVR. To learn more about this appointment please call our office and let our Patient Care Coordinator answer any questions you have about this type of appointment. Call us at 586-731-9725.