Dr. Abbondanza is the chair of the Clinical Curriculum Development Committee of the OEPF, he oversees and helps develop the continued excellence of all OEPF Clinical Curriculum educational offerings.
Dr. Abbondanza graduated from Milford High School and from Boston College (Go Eagles!) with a degree in Psychology. He graduated with honors in the Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society from the New England College of Optometry, where he was appointed Adjunct Clinical Professor of Optometry in 1991. He is a past President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Society of Optometrists, where he was the youngest President in the almost 100-year history of the organization. Dr. John has also served on the Suffolk Superior Court Medical Malpractice Tribunal. He lectures extensively to optometrists, educators, occupational therapists, and other groups on how Behavioral Optometry helps people in their daily lives. Dr. John is also certified in Corneal Refractive Therapy, where contact lenses are used to reshape the cornea as an alternative to eyeglasses or LASIK. He is in private practice at Vision Care Specialists in Southborough with a specialization in vision related learning problems.
Dr. John is a 30-year member of the American Optometric Association and a clinical associate of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF), which is the national organization of Behavioral Optometrists. He is board certified in Vision Therapy as a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD). Dr. John serves on the Northeast Regional Congress of Optometrists Committee where he was recently appointed Chair of their Clinical Seminar. He is also on the Budget Committee of the COVD and is the Massachusetts Chairman of the OEP. Additionally, Dr. John is the Massachusetts leader of the national InfantSEE program.
Education
Doctor of Optometry, NEWENCO, May 1988
Bachelor of Arts, Boston College, May 1983
Leadership
Trustee, Optometric Extension Program Foundation, 2010 – 2019
Board Certified in Vision Therapy by COVD, 2005 – present
State Leader, InfantSEE Program, Massachusetts, 2006 – present
Co-Chair, Associate to Fellow Committee, COVD, 2005
Director of Northeast Regional Clinical Seminar, 2005 – present
President, Vision Care Specialists, 2004 – present
Massachusetts Director of Optometric Extension Program, 2003-05
Budget Committee, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, 2004
Co-chair Northeast Congress of Optometry, 1999 – present
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mass. Society of Optometrists, 1995-96
President, Mass. Society of Optometrists, 1994-95
Legal/Legislative Committee, Mass. Society of Optometrists, 1988-97
Metrowest Leadership Academy, Class of 1992
Faculty Appointment
Adjunct Clinical Prof of Optometry, NECO 1991, 2015-present
Adjunct Clinical Prof of Optometry, MCPHS, 2015-present
Adjunct Prof of Optometry, UPC, Spain 2019-present
Director of Residency in Pediatrics/Vision Therapy, 2011- 2018
Adjunct Clinical Professor of Optometry, SCO, 2011 – 2018
Professional Associations
Mass. Society of Optometrists, 1988 – present
American Optometric Association, 1988 – present
Optometric Extension Program, 1997 – present
College of Optometrists in Vision Development, 2003 – present
Experience
Vision Care Specialists Southboro, MA
6/04 – present Performed primary optometric care with an emphasis on Behavioral
Optometry for patients in a newly established office. Performed
functional vision evaluations and provided vision therapy for children and
adults with binocular (including strabismus and amblyopia),
accommodative, oculomotor, and vision related learning
problems. Provided routine and problem specific eye examinations,
all types of contact lens examinations and fittings including CRT, medical
01/08
management of ophthalmic disease, co-managed surgical LASIK, diabetic,
cataract, and glaucoma patients.
8/95-6/04 Optical View Framingham, MA
Performed primary optometric care for patients in a private optical
practice. Performed routine eye examinations, contact lens fittings,
functional vision evaluations and vision therapy. Developed general
pediatric practice with emphasis on vision therapy.
9/93-11/95 Tyler Opticians Leominster, MA
Performed primary optometric care for patients in a side by side practice.
3/8/94 Middlesex Superior Court Cambridge, MA
Malpractice Tribunal – Provided medical review of malpractice cases
involving optometrists.
6/88-9/93 McGowan Eye Care Center Framingham, MA
Provided medical eye care for patients as an employed optometrist in a
high volume, ocular disease oriented ophthalmology office. Routine use
of therapeutic pharmaceutical agents. Provided pre-op and post-op care,
emergency triage, provocative glaucoma testing, diagnostic lacrimal
testing, and other primary care procedures. Performed anterior segment
and posterior segment photography, flourescein angiography, and
interpreted angiograms.
7/91-7/93 Adjunct Clinical Professor of Optometry NEWENCO
1/98-3/01 Supervised and evaluated optometry students in a fourth year clinical
rotation. Taught clinical skills such as indirect ophthalmoscopy,
gonioscopy, differential diagnosis of ocular disease, and vision therapy.
2/17-4/19 Taught VT labs at NECO
Lectures
04/22 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – VT for Strabismus/Amblyopia”
03/22 48 hr VT course, Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain
11/21 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
06/21 “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision and Learning”
06/21 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
04/21 “OEP Clinical Curriculum _ Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
03/21 48 hr VT course, Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain
03/21 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision related Learning Problems”
11/20 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
09/20 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
06/20 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
06/20 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
12/19 48 hr VT course, Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain
11/19 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
10/19 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
01/08
06/19 “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision and Learning”,
Manitoba, Canada
03/19 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
01/19 “VT Surprises”, KISS meeting
10/18 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
10/18 12 hr course “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision
and Learning”, Toronto, Canada
09/18 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
09/18 6 hr VT course, ‘Seeing Space’, Heart of America Meeting
06/18 6 hr VT course, “Visualization and Visual Imagery”, Sutton
Meeting, Denmark
06/18 ” OEP Clinical Curriculum – Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
05/18 ” OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
04/18 “Optometric Management of Concussion”, “Visualization and
Visual Imagery”, Manila, Philippines
03/18 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
02/18 “Effective Strabismus Therapy”, Northwest Congress of Optom
01/18 “Therapy for Perceptual Reversals”, KISS meeting
01/18 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
12/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
11/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
10/17 6 hr VT course “Visualization in Vision Therapy, Heart of
America meeting
08/17 “VT for Toddlers” OEP course
06/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
05/17 “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision and Learning”
05/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
02/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
01/17 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Strabismus/amblyopia”
11/16 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
09/16 “Vision Related Learning Problems” COMOF meeting, Mexico
09/16 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Art & Science of Behavioral Optom”
06/16 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
05/16 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
02/16 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Vision Related Learning Problems”
09/15 “Visualization and Visual Imagery” COMOF meeting, Mexico
06/15 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
05/15 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
03/15 “OEP Clinical Curriculum -Art and Science of Behavioral Optom”
02/15 “OEP Clinical Curriculum – Visual Dysfunctions”
06/14 “The Art and Science of Behavioral Optometry”
09/12 “The Art and Science of Behavioral Optometry”
07/12 “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision Therapy and
Learning”, “Epigenetics of Autism”, and “Neuroscience Tips for the Day”
01/08
at Australasian College of Behavioral Optometry, Melbourne, Australia
and Rotorua, New Zealand
04/10 “A Model of Visual Imagery”
01/08 “Visualization – The Critical Link Between Vision Therapy and
Learning”
04/05 “Vision Related Learning Problems”
05/04 “Vision, Learning, and Autism”
10/02 “Vision and Learning”
12/01 “Evaluation of the Child with Learning Problems”
04/99 “Optometric Rehabilitation”
11/97 “Vision Related Learning Problems”
02/97 “Headaches, Eye Strain, and Computers”
09/93 “Evaluation of the Optic Nerve Head in Glaucoma”
09/92 “Differential Diagnosis of Glaucoma”
11/90 “Laser Treatment of Eye Disease”
10/89 “Preop Cataract Evaluation and Ultrasound Lab”
10/88 “Cataract Surgery and IOL Implantation”
