Stonegate Park Medical Center in St. Joseph welcomes Dr. Geoff Heddle, O.D. and his Visual Performance Center. Dr. Heddle’s new solo practice offers not only optometric services, but visual training, rehabilitation, and eye improvement.
Dr. Geoff Heddle was born and raised in Canada, and is a lifelong athlete. His devotion to competitive sports fueled his interest at improving athletic performance, such as hand-eye coordination, which led him to the connection between vision and learning.
“One in five children have a vision-related learning problem,” Dr. Heddle says. “I realized that besides helping athletes, I also wanted to make sure that none of my pediatric patients had to needlessly suffer in school.”
The Visual Performance Center offers regular eye exams for glasses and contact lenses, and visual training to help with athletic and academic performance.
“Our goal is to help people achieve their potential through visual development. Individualized treatment is often necessary for eliminating the visual interference to one’s quality of life,” his mission statement proudly exclaims.
In 1998, Dr. Heddle graduated from the School of Optometry at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. After being introduced to the area during a U.S. Pro Triathlon Race that took place at Silver Beach in 1997, he returned post-graduation to practice with Dr. Reed.
Dr. Heddle wanted this new venture to live in St. Joseph, where he and his family reside, and his goal to become more involved and give back to his community can be easily accomplished.
He currently has three other practices in Indiana, two of which are located in Granger, and one in Elkhart. Dr. Heddle has traveled internationally, lecturing at optometry seminars and leading clinics about Sports Vision. He has consulted with many professional organizations nationwide, and worked closely with teams of the NFL, NBA, and NHL.
The Visual Performance Center is located at 3916 Stonegate Park, Unit B, in St. Joseph, and is open Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. To contact the office, visit visualpc.org, or call 269-408-8719.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
