Dennis R. Cantwell, O.D.

Dr. Dennis Cantwell, O.D., was first introduced to vision therapy during his first year as an undergraduate in college at the University of Connecticut.  His interest was not sparked through classwork, though, as you might expect.

His two younger brothers had been having troubles in school, had been avoiding their reading assignments, and rarely read for pleasure.  Dr. Cantwell’s parents were concerned and surprised because their family had always been full of avid readers.

The family found their way to Drs. Henry Quick and Stephen Solomon, both developmental optometrists, who diagnosed the boys with vision problems and prescribed vision therapy.

Dr. Cantwell watched as his brothers’ work improved markedly during their course of vision therapy sessions.  At the time, he expected to study dentistry following receipt of his undergraduate degree in Biology.  However, after developmental optometry affected him in such a personal way, he began to consider a change of course.

After discussing his goals with Dr. Solomon, who was by this time a personal friend, Dr. Cantwell applied to and eventually enrolled in post-graduate studies at the New England College of Optometry. During his residency, he requested as many vision therapy rotations as he could.  Following licensure, he went directly into Developmental Optometry and is thrilled to now help others as Drs. Solomon and Quick had helped his own family.

Dr. Cantwell is continually motivated by the same satisfaction he gained from his brothers’ achievements years ago.  He is motivated by a desire to help children excel in all areas of life by identifying and remedying commonly overlooked problems.

In 1996, he earned board certification in developmental optometry and vision therapy and the prestigious title of Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

On a Personal Note:

Dr. Cantwell resides in Northern Virginia with his wife, Karen.  They have four children, Erin, Ethan, Patrick, and Emma.  He shares his professional passion with his wife, who is the lead therapist at the office in Ashburn.

Scott Lewis, O.D.

Dr. Scott Lewis, O.D., graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 2005, where he received the award of excellence in vision therapy. His interest in Vision Therapy and Developmental Optometry began even before he entered optometry school, when a Developmental Optometrist, Dr. David Damari, gave him a powerful description of the specialized field. Dr. Lewis, already very interested in helping others, especially children, began to consider this course for his own practice after graduating. Then, during his routine eye exam for all entering students, it was discovered that he had a visual condition called Convergence Insufficiency – a condition where the eyes do not easily converge at the near distance, often resulting in headaches and difficulty with reading. His was a classic developmental case, but because he always had 20/20 vision growing up, the diagnosis was missed until the age of 25, when he entered optometry school! Soon after his own diagnosis, Dr. Lewis began a routine of vision therapy, and as his symptoms disappeared, he gained an intense desire to help others obtain their fullest visual potential as well.

Dr. Lewis shares his passion for helping school-age children with his wife, Cherie, who has begun her Masters work in educational counseling. Dr. and Mrs. Lewis have four beautiful children, Maddison, Eliza, Caden and Jacob. When not at home taking care of his children, he is in one of our offices taking care of yours.