In memoriam Hal Wiener with tributes from Drs. Benshir, Ballinger and Gallop
Hal passed away a week ago. For those who don’t know him, he wrote the book Eyes OK, I’m OK to explain vision and vision therapy to parents and teachers. It is still available through OEPF. That isn’t who and what he was, however. In addition to being brilliant and articulate, you never saw Hal without a smile. He was always glad to see everyone and ready to help anyone. He encouraged everyone to do better and be better. After retiring he continued to work for his son, Marc, as a vision therapist. He unofficially holds the record for the world’s oldest vision therapist (probably by a lot of years!). Hal was one of the kindest, most affectionate people I ever knew. In addition to wanting to help everyone’s vision problems he wanted to make people happy, and he did just that with his warmth and genuine caring. It feels like I lost a much-loved uncle. He may have been the last of his generation, graduating PCO in 1950. May his memory be a blessing to all!
Marsha Davis Benshir, O.D., F.N.O.R.A.
Hal Wiener was responsible for introducing me to Vision Therapy.
I first met him in my second year of optometry school at a New Jersey Optometry conference. I didn’t know anyone there but saw a young man resting his leg in a cast on a chair…I walked over to keep him company and asked….so what happened to the other guy? It was the ice breaker I had hoped for and we sat together and started to chat…it turned out to be Hal’s son Marc who was recouping from asking accident. It wasn’t 10 minutes later that Hal came over and introduced himself. I found out he had a second satellite office 5 minutes from my home in Oradell. He invited me to visit and that visit changed my lifepath. I volunteered to work in his office…graduated to working during the summers as a vision therapist and meet his dear wife Ruth. He introduced me to the Washington Group and my path was set.
He was kind, devoted to the profession, excited to share what Vision was truly about, and gave of his knowledge with a joyous heart.
I have kept in touch with him over the years sharing my growth, asking his advice on cases and enjoying his insights. I will miss him dearly…but what a joy he was
Beth Ballinger, OD
I first met Harold Wiener, OD by taking an elective at PCO in 1986. Hal, along with Bob Kraskin, taught a weekend course on the behavioral philosophy of optometry. They did not call themselves “behavioral optometrists”, just optometrists. Over time, I found both men to be incredibly caring, deeply committed to our profession and always eager to share their knowledge and excitement. When the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to do an externship with Dr. Wiener. It was an incredible three months watching, learning and working alongside Hal and his son Marc in their two offices.
Their style of providing vision therapy (they preferred visual training) has influenced every moment of my practice since. One of the biggest influences was the emphasis Dr. Hal placed on understanding and promoting the importance of peripheral awareness as a foundational element in the visual process. Perhaps many reading this are thinking, well of course peripheral vision is important. Much of the reason for this is the passion and intelligence with which Hal Wiener promoted this concept so many years ago – long before we met.
The other critical concept I learned during my time with Hal was the importance of the doctor having a meaningful presence in the training room. I have done practically every minute of every patient’s vision therapy in my practice since starting out on my own several years ago. As did Hal, I cherish my time engaging directly with my patients in the training room.
I hope I never forget to appreciate the giants on whose shoulders it has been my good fortune to stand. I owe so much of my professional essence to my good friend and long-time mentor Harold Wiener. May his memory be a blessing. Hi time here certainly was.
Steve Gallop, OD
