Dr. Beth Ballinger OD, FCOVD

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Private Professional practice with husband Steven Cohn, O.D., F.C.O.V.D. in Newport Beach, California.

Specialty:  Infant and adolescent evaluation, developmental guidance, visual perceptual diagnosis and treatment, vision training, visual rehabilitation, learning disabilities, gifted and special populations.

Education: 

• Graduated Fairleigh Dickinson University Cum Laude with a Bachelor of       

                    Science 1974           

• Pennsylvania College of Optometry Bachelor of Visual Science 1977
• Pennsylvania College of Optometry Doctor of Optometry 1979

Affiliations: Dr. G.N. Getman joined our group in 1982 until he “retired” in 1986

Professional Organizations:

     American Optometric Association

•  Member 1979 to present

California Optometric Association

• Member 1979 to present 
• Chairperson of Agency Services Committee of the California Optometric Association 1990
• Committee member since 1984 to 1990
• Helped to write the special education regulations for vision training in California
• Consultant with Crippled Children’s Services
• Liaison to California Association of Resource Specialists    
• Liaison to California Early Intervention program for infants with handicapping conditions. 
• Liaison to the Attorney General’s Commission on Disabilities

Orange County Optometric Society

• Member 1979 to present
• Editor of Perceptions (Orange County Society’s News Bulletin) which won special recognition award from C.O.A. 1982
• Trustee Orange County Optometric Society 1980-1982

Optometric Educators Association since 1981

College of Optometrists in Vision Development (C.O.V.D.)

• Member since 1980 
• Fellow College of Optometrists in Vision Development (F.C.O.V.D.) since 1983
• Chairperson of Assistance to New Graduates Committee 1983-1985
• Co-Chair Student Affairs Division C.O.V.D. 1985-1988
• Elected to Board of Directors of C.O.V.D. 1988-1991
• Western Regional Director 1988-1991
• Director to Student Services and Membership 1988-1990
• Director of Clinical Research and Development Committee 1990-1991
• Executive Board Member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development Serving as Treasurer 1993-1994

Board of Directors of the American Optometric Foundation for Vision Research 

1991-1993

Board of Directors for Sensory Integration International for Occupational Therapy

1994 to 2004

Professional Advisory Board to the Autism Society of Orange County

Since 1995 

Professional Advisory Board to the Parkinson’s Society of Orange County

Since 1998 

Board of Directors for the Studt Foundation 1990 to present

Dr. Ballinger has been working for the last several years as a visual consultant for the National Medical Review Organization.

Optometric Extension Program Foundation

• Member since 1979
• Optometric Extension Program Foundation (O.E.P.F.)
• Student Services Committee 1983-1985
• O.E.P.F. Pamphlet Review Committee

               1983-1988

• Wrote series of continuing education papers for Optometric Extension Program
• Orange County Optometric Council

               Chairperson 1984-1990

• Societe “D Optometrie “D Europe (European Optometric Society)

              Fellow 1990-1998

• Australasian College of Behavioral Optometry

              Member 1992-1998

Related Organizations:

• California Association for the Neurologically Handicapped 

               Member since 1980 

• Learning Disabilities Association (formerly the Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (A.C.L.D.)

              Member since 1980 

• American Association of University Women

              Member since 1980 

• Orton Dyslexia Society

              Member since 1983 

• Optometric Liaison to Southern  California Public Health Association 

              1985-1989

• California Association of Resource Specialists

               Affiliate member since 1991

Optometric Consultant to several public and private schools in the Southern  California area:

             West Orange County Consortium: Department of Special Education

             Department of Special Education for the following School Districts:

             Capistrano Valley, Corona/Norco, Fullerton, Huntington Beach City School District,

             Irvine, Laguna Beach, Long Beach, Newport/Mesa, Orange, Placentia/Yorba Linda,       

             Ramona, Riverside, Tustin Unified, WOCCSE 

Behavioral Optometry Advisory Committee to:

             Dr. Wolfberg, President of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Associate Faculty to Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California: 

             Vision Therapy services at the Southern California College of Optometry,    

             Fullerton, CA 

Adjunct Faculty of Western University College of Optometry in Pomona, California 

Adjunct Faculty of National University, Irvine, CA 

             Classes taught at National University on Vision, Motor and Auditory Integration 

Awards:  1982

             C.O.A. Speakers Award  

             C.O.A. Special Recognition Award for Excellence

            “Perceptions News Bulletin” for the Orange County Optometric Society

            1992

            Recognition Award from College of Education of California State University at Long   

            Beach for Contributions to the Students and Faculty.

Projects: 1984-1985

            Initiator and coordinator of the Fountain Valley Developmental Vision Project, a Grant  

            funded project with Dr. G.N. Getman and the Fountain Valley Public School District in

            California. It was found that children with vision problems, who also had reading     

            difficulties participating in this program of visual enhancement, became readers.

            1986 to present

            Walter O. Studt Practicum:

            Moderator, Co-Organizer and Lecturer with: Dr. G.N. Getman, Dr. Homer Hendrickson 

            and Dr. Donald Studt. Lectures are presented 3 times per year to the students of the 

            Southern California College of Optometry, exposing them to developmental and   

            behavioral vision philosophy, case analysis, assessment and vision training.  

            Board of Directors for the Walter O. Studt Foundation 

            Since 1990

            1988

            Worked with the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Children and Adults 

            with Learning Disabilities on a video entitled “All Children Learn Differently”. This is a 

            multidisciplinary approach to addressing the many areas of difficulty experienced by

            individuals with learning “disabilities”. Dr. Ballinger represented Optometry and

            discussed the role of vision, visual perception and vision training as a part of a    

            comprehensive mode of treatment.

            Dr. Ballinger co-authored a paper with Dr. James May (Neuropsychologist) on the 

            Visual Sequella of Head Trauma Populations. This paper was presented at the 

            Neuropsychology Conference in San Francisco, October 1995, In New Orleans in 1997      

            and China November 2000.

            1996

            Dr. Ballinger Attended the Atlanta Olympic Games providing vision screenings for the    

            Olympic athletes as part of the Sports Vision Section of the AOA.

Lectures: 1987

            A.C.L.D. State Convention in Oakland, CA on “The Visual Basis of Language”

            1983

            International Reading Association: “Visual Efficiency With Reading” 

            U.C. Berkley 3rd and 4th year students: “What is    

            Developmental/Behavioral/Functional Optometry”

            1990

            First International Behavioral Vision Conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Paper presented 

            was “A Developmental Hierarchy of Visualization Skills”.  Dr. Ballinger was one of  15

            Optometrists worldwide asked to make a presentation. She was one of four   

            Optometrists representing the United States. The conference’s purpose was to “Unite 

            Optometry’s Best” and was translated into five different languages. It was attended 

            by 400 people from 22 countries. Dr. Ballinger was the only woman representing  

            the United  States at the podium.

            1991

            Lecturer at California Association of Resource Specialists Annual Convention in Irvine,  CA. 

            “Visual Perception-Now You See It, Now You Don’t”. Lecture attended by 150   

            special  education teachers statewide.

            1994

            Lecturer at the California Association of Resource Specialists Annual Convention in San 

            Francisco, CA., “The Role of Vision in the Learning Process”. Lecture attended by Special 

            Education Teachers statewide. 

            1985 to present

            Lecturer at University of California Long Beach to Master candidates in Learning 

            Disabilities and Human Development.

Lectures given:

• Vision Development
• Vision as a Function of Intelligence
• Visual Perception: Now You See It-What Do You Do?
• Vision and Its Role in the Classroom
• The Role of Vision with the Spelling Handicapped Student
• Visual Rehabilitation for Special populations
• Working with other professionals with respect to special populations

            1989-1991

            Lecturer to Occupational and Physical Therapy Consultants to the Orange County 

            School Districts

• “Functional Visual Analysis of the Multihandicapped Student for Communication Device Assessment”
• “The Visual Demands of the Multihandicapped Student”
• “Adding Vision Into the Occupational/Physical Therapy Program”

            1992

            Workshop presentation at the Occupational Therapy and Optometry Conference at 

            Anaheim, CA. Title of presentation: “A Collaborative Effort of OT-OD Interaction for  

            Developmental Disabilities-A Case Presentation”

            1992

            Presentation to Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech and Language   

            Therapists, Psychology Councilors and Staff at Neurocare, Long Beach, CA. Her lecture 

            addressed visual sequella and visual rehabilitative interventions for patients with  

            stroke and head trauma.

            1992

            Workshop presentation to the Christian Home Education Association’s yearly  

            conference in Anaheim, CA. Lecture entitled: “Visual Perception-Now You See It, Now   

            You Don’t”. This workshop addressed the visual and visual information processing

            difficulties as it  relates to academic and learning performance.           

            1993 and 1996

            Lecture presentation to the California Association of School Psychologists in 

            Irvine California. Lecture entitled: “Eyes OK, I’m OK, The Role of Vision in the 

            Learning Process”.  

            1996

            Lecture to the California Association of School Psychologists in San Diego,  CA. 

            Lecture entitled: “When Vision Is a Problem”. This lecture was attended by California 

            school psychologists from all over the state.

            1996

            Lecture presented to the Orton Dyslexia Conference in Long Beach, CA. Lecture entitled: 

            “Visualization Imagination and Creativity, The Role of Vision in Visual 

            1993

            Lecture presentation to CHILDHELP, Beaumont,  CA. Lecture entitled: “Recognizing 

            Children with Visual and Visual Perceptual Problems”. This lecture was attended by their 

            medical staff and social welfare workers. Various lectures to community and professional

            groups about infant and children’s vision, vision and learning, visual development of non-

            compromised and special populations, visual rehabilitation, visual perception and 

            sports vision.

            1994

            Dr. Ballinger presented at the Second International Behavioral Optometry Conference in  

            Sydney, Australia. Her topic was Visualization, Imagination and Creativity and she was 

            interviewed by the media during this conference attended by Optometrists from all over 

            the world.

            1994

            Dr. Ballinger presented a two day seminar to New  Zealand educators, psychologists, 

            occupational therapists, physical therapists and optometrists by special invitation of the 

            Head of Special Education for Auckland,  New Zealand.

            1996/1998

            Dr. Ballinger participated in presentations and workshops in Italy, England, Sweden and 

            Taipei. Dr. Ballinger and Dr. Cohn have been lecturing in Taiwan for over 450 hours since 

            1997, for Optometrists interested in pursuing higher levels of visual and visual 

            perceptual studies. 

            Dr. Ballinger and Dr. Cohn presented in Italy, by invitation from the Italian Optometric  

            Association, and their presentation was given for all Italian Optometric Colleagues.

            Between 1996 and 1998, Dr. Ballinger did visual assessments for children in Hong Kong,   

            and established vision therapy programs.

            2007

            Dr. Ballinger was recognized as one of the Top Optometrists in the United States by the  

            “Guide to American Optometrists” for her work in vision therapy and visual rehabilitation 

            testing and treatment.

            In May 2007, Dr. Ballinger traveled again to Hong Kong to perform optometric visual 

            evaluations for children there, and then went on to Taiwan to lecture to the Taiwanese 

            Optometric Community. 

            Dr. Ballinger sees patients in her office from New  Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Belgium,  

            Italy, Cayman  Islands, Guadalupe and Dui Bai.

            Dr. Ballinger and Dr. Cohn host optometrists from all over the world. These optometrists up

            from Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Taiwan, Italy, Australia, Germany, Mexico and 

            France, spend to a year and learn specialized techniques created by Dr. Ballinger to 

            address the needs of special populations and to observe evaluations of   

            special populations needing developmental, visual information processing and visual

            rehabilitative therapies. 

            2014

            Dr. Ballinger was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Pediatric Cortical Visual 

            Impairment Organization.

            Dr. Ballinger was honored with the Prestigious G.N. Getman Award for Clinical Excellence. 

            This was awarded by the College of Optometrists in Visual Development.

            Dr. Ballinger presented six hours of lectures to the National South Korean Optometry 

            Organization and to the Behavioral Optometry Organization COVD-Korea.

            2014-2025

            Dr. Ballinger gave a presentation at the Autism Conference in Orange County, California.

            Her topic was: Vision 101. It covered the connection between vision, sensory input, reading,

            perception and learning for individuals on the spectrum. Dr. Ballinger has working with  

            the Autistic Community for over 40 years. Her focus, effort, and passion is to support   

            the child  dynamic, the family dynamic, the school dynamic and the life dynamic for

            finding a   meaningful pathway moving forward for the patients. 

            This is her hearts passion.