 Learn a little bit about the Dr. Diane
Dr. Diane Serex-Dougan was born in Baltimore and spent her first 10 years living in Pikesville. Her family then moved to Montgomery County. She graduated from Paint Branch High School.Dr. Diane graduated with Departmental Honors in Biology from Alfred University in Alfred, New York. From Alfred, Dr. Diane headed to the heart of the Mid-South, Memphis, Tennessee to attend Southern College of Optometry.
Why Behavioral Optometry? Midway through her academic career at SCO, Dr. Diane began getting headaches whenever she would study for extended periods of time. Seeking help and relief, she sought advice from one of the clinic doctors. His solution made the headaches worse. Another student suggested to Dr. Diane that she seek the advice of Dr. Glen Steele in the Vision Therapy department. Skeptical but desperate, she went to see Dr. Steele. He looked at the same exam numbers, did two more tests and wrote a completely different prescription. One for bifocals! Bifocals at the ripe age of 23? Who ever heard of that? It worked and changed her career path. She didn't know what he saw differently in her exam numbers but she knew she wanted to learn what that difference was. The difference was the philosophy of Behavioral Optometry. After graduation from SCO, Dr. Diane did a residency in Pediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy under the guidance of Drs. Wayne Yorkgitis and Steele. This was the beginning of learning Behavioral Optometry. This has been her field of interest and specialization for over 25 years.
Optometric Educator Dr. Diane stayed on as a member of the Pediatric and Vision Therapy faculty for seven years. She was involved with the Optometric Extension Program Foundation by bringing other Behavioral Optometrists to SCO to speak to students. She attended numerous seminars and clinical forums on Behavioral Optometry and related topics. She attended so much continuing education that she was awarded the Optometric Recognition Award by the American Optometric Association several times. Dr. Diane also received her Fellowship from the College of Optometric in Vision Development
Private Practitioner Dr. Diane has been in private practice in the Baltimore area for 18 years. The best feature of private practice is working directly with the patients and observing first hand their progress. To see an adult, who having a “lazy eye” since childhood, needed 20/30 to drive a bus. All other doctors had told her that because she was more than six, she had no chance. They did not try. Dr. Diane gave her the opportunity to change her vision. She did. Many of the patients that Dr. Diane works with have learning related vision problems. Most of these children have 20/20 acuity and they pass screenings. Their parents happen upon Optometric vision therapy almost by accident. Patients like this, be they children or adults, are so proud of their accomplishments. Subtle anomalies of visual function have pervasive impact on language, space-time organization, memory, perception, social prediction and interaction, and emotional stability. Behavioral Optometry and Optometric vision therapy help the patient learn to deal with their visual world and become successful.
Maryland State Clinical Director In addition to private practice, she is the Clinical Director of Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes for the Maryland Special Olympics. For her involvement with the Special Olympics Dr. Diane was recognized as the Maryland Optometric Association’s Optometrist of the Year in 2002. A strong believer in continuing education, she is the Mid Atlantic chairperson for the Regional Clinical Seminars sponsored by OEP. Dr. Diane is also a member of the Maryland Optometric Association .
Family is Important Dr. Diane has been blessed with a wonderful husband (of 30 years), Rich, and two great sons, Bryan and Eric. She is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Towson, Maryland where she has been a youth leader. Dr. Diane enjoys family, cats, travel, exercising and crafts.
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