Dr. Curtis Baxstrom of Northwest Vision & Learning Center in Federal Way has been named the 2018 recipient of the G.N. Getman Award by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.
The College of Optometrists in Vision Development is a non-profit international association of eye care professionals, including optometrists and vision therapists. They provide board certification for optometrists and vision therapists who provide state-of-the-art services in vision care, including vision therapy, and neuro-optometric rehabilitation.
Baxstrom is a 1984 graduate of the Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. He later completed a master’s degree in reading at Seattle Pacific University. He established the Northwest Vision & Learning Center in 1992 as an optometric practice specializing in developmental disabilities, learning issues and acquired brain injuries. His primary emphasis is in the application of vision therapy for visually related learning difficulties, children with special needs, strabismus (eye turning), amblyopia (lazy eye) and visual issues related to acquired brain injuries
The Getman Award is presented to a developmentally-oriented optometrist with clinical expertise and application in office structure and professional activity. The recipient must demonstrate a personal and professional concern for all patients, especially children, which exceeds all else.
A dedicated service provider, Baxstrom provides a residency program through the Pacific University College of Optometry. This provides recent graduates the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge in the area of vision therapy and visual neurorehabilitation. He is also a consultant and regularly provides services in the rehabilitation units at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma.
Baxstrom is also a consultant to several school districts, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
