Kenneth A. Lane, O.D., was raised in the Philadelphia area and served for four years in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1969 and attended the University of Houston College of Optometry from 1973 to 1977. He founded the Lane Learning Center in Lewisville, Texas, in 1985 to help learning-disabled children with vision therapy. Vision therapy is specifically directed toward resolving visual problems that interfere with reading, learning, and educational instruction.

Dr. Lane, a pioneering developmental optometrist, developed a questionnaire called the Lane Academic Readiness Screen, or LARS, that helps parents, teachers, and other caregivers assess whether a child has vision or reading problems that can be improved through the practice of structured activities. The LARS identifies specific problems and then points adults toward scientifically developed activities designed to help the child improve both reading speed and proficiency. Dr. Lane structured those activities into workbooks, which are organized into packages to address specific reading problems. The LARS and the workbooks form an entire vision therapy program.

By Kenneth A. Lane, O.D.