Dr. Amelia Bartolone

Dr. B is the BEST! I have struggled with migraines for over 15 years, and since I was a teenager have visited countless neurologists but never received care that consistently relieved my symptoms. Thankfully I was finally referred to Dr. B, who after an evaluation found that I had a vision issue called convergence insufficiency. This was an incredible lightbulb moment for me. Since childhood, I thought it was normal to see words and objects in double, and that everyone had to strain to make their world appear singular. It turns out that, with the right doctor, this is actually a treatable condition. We are so fortunate in the Hudson Valley to have Dr. B to treat vision conditions such as mine. Dr. B provides weekly vision therapy with incredible care, patience, and sensitivity. My migraines are now significantly reduced; vision therapy has been more effective than any headache medication I've tried. All kinds of everyday activities - computer time, watching movies, driving - used to set off my migraines. After a few months of weekly vision therapy with Dr. B, I am able to live my life with so much more ease without relying on heavy duty medications. Vision therapy takes some dedication as a patient as well but Dr. B is a warm and skilled guide, and she will work hard alongside you until you are feeling better. The front desk staff is wonderful too. If you have any inkling that you could have any sort of vision-related issue, or unexplained headaches, do yourself the kindness of scheduling an evaluation with Dr. B.

I've struggled with vertigo and balance issues all my life. I would drift when I walked, spontaneously fall over sideways, and could never ride a bike. I was checked out by neurologists, but they never found anything. I chalked it up to clumsiness and moved on. Then, in my 20s, my mysterious balance issues started affecting my ability to drive. It felt like my car was tipping over sideways when I turned. Back to the neurologist I went! After numerous tests, nebulous diagnoses were made and treatments were prescribed. Nothing helped. I started finding alternate travel routes to mitigate my symptoms. Last year, my symptoms started worsening. I was considering a life dependent on Uber to get around. I knew a visit to the neurologist would just get me another MRI. So I went to my good old friend, Google, for answers. Isn't that what we all do nowadays? What I found was a single story written by a person with similar symptoms who was successfully treated by...an optometrist??? That couldn't be right! I was the proud owner of perfect 20/20 vision! One story led to another, which led me to peer-reviewed journals discussing binocular vision disorders which could be treated by certain specially trained optometrists. Where might I find one of these mystical beings and could they really help me? I figured it couldn't hurt to try. I started cold-calling optometric practices to see if they had anyone who treated these disorders. Most of them had no idea what I was talking about. But one person did. She told me to call Dr. Amelia Bartolone. I made an appointment, fully expecting her to tell me my symptoms had nothing to do with my vision. Instead, after a very thorough evaluation, she told me she thought she could help. Long story short (too late, I know!), my perfect vision wasn't so perfect. My eyes weren't working together correctly and that was causing my issues. Dr. Bartolone prescribed glasses with prism and vision therapy. It took nearly 8 months of weekly therapy, and lots of "homework" on my own, but my symptoms are manageable now. Not perfect, but I'm not planning on calling Uber anytime soon. Thank you, Dr. B!

First time here for myself and Dr. Bartolone and Ms. Rebecca were absolutely wonderful and very professional.