About Dr. Bowan

BIOGRAPHY/CURRICULUM VITAE

Download Curriculum Vitae .pdf here

Merrill D. Bowan, O.D.
841 Tenth Street
Oakmont, PA 15139

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: Dr. Merrill D. Bowan is a neurodevelopmental optometrist who has practiced in the Pittsburgh area for over forty years. Dr. Bowan graduated in 1965 from the Illinois College of Optometry with a B.S. in Optometry and Doctor of Optometry degrees. His pre-optometric studies were performed at Geneva College, in Beaver Falls, PA. He served for three years in the U.S. Navy, attached to the Marine Corps at Parris Island, S.C. His areas of professional interest are treatment of post-concussive syndrome, vision and visual processing in learning and language development, and the psychopathophysiology of refractive error.

He was co-founder and Director of Perceptual Services at the Effective Learning Institute, a multidisciplinary developmental visual and sensorimotor remedial center from 1992-1994. He has served as the director of perceptual training at Pace School (1970-1972); Chairman of the Visual Development and Training Committee of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association; and consultant to the Title I funded perceptual program at The Bradley Center in Dorseyville, PA, for the program’s five-year span.

Dr. Bowan is a member of The Optometric Extension Program, a post-graduate study program. He has lectured for the Regional Gathering of the Pittsburgh Area Mensa Society in 2010 and 2011, the Connecticut Optometric Association at the Mohegan Sun Resort, the Hudson Valley Optometric Association at West Point, and the San Diego Optometric Association. He has lectured at Carlow University, Duquesne University – in both the reading department and department of special education, Penn State University, Monroeville campus, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Penn Technical Institute, and at numerous inservices at local rehabilitation centers, autism support groups, and public and private schools throughout Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. He has been on the editorial review board of Annals of Ophthalmology and Glaucoma since October 1997.

PUBLICATIONS:

Ocular Manifestations in Children With Cerebral Palsy. Sanjay Marasini, B Optom; Nabin Paudel, B Optom; Pradash Adhikari, B Optom; Jyoti Baba Shrestha, MD; Merrill D. Bowan, OD. Optom Vis Devel Vol 42:3/11.

Microprism Application in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Series. (In rewrite January 2012.)

Textual Visual Aliasing: Addressing the problem of mirages of text. (Was conditionally accepted, Optometry. In redraft, 2012)

Objective Support for Optometric Intervention in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report of Microprism Application. Poster presentation, 6th International Congress of Behavioral Optometry. Ontario, CA. April, 2010. (.pdf)

Optometric Interventions in PCS/PTVS, MD Bowan, Publ. 2009.

Textual Visual Aliasing: the Visual Aliasing Syndrome. MD. Bowan, Publ. 2009.

Treatment of Panic Attack with Vergence Therapy: an unexpected visual-vagus connection. J Behav Optom. 2008:19(6);155-159.

Learning Problems Are Brain Problems: what neurology, optometry, education, psychology, and psychiatry have in common. (Invited article.) The Sight. Nepal Optometry Students’ Society. Annual Journal, 2008. (.pdf)

Clinical Aspects of the Visual Aliasing Syndrome. Presentation at the 53rd Kraskin Invitational Skeffington Symposium. January 19-21, 2008.

NeuroOptics: the radical impact of plus lenses and microprisms upon the brain and the body. MD Bowan, Publ. 2007.

Visual Aliasing Syndrome: Addressing the pattern distress of text. (Conditionally accepted for publication, Optometry. 2011.)

The Visual Aliasing Syndrome. Presentation at the 50th Kraskin Invitational Skeffington Symposium. January 15-17, 2005.

The Myopia about Nearsightedness. MD. Bowan, Publ. 2005.

ADD/ADHD: A symptom in search of a diagnosis. MD Bowan, Publ. 2005.

Point-Counterpoint: Only the optometrist should be permitted to perform subjective refraction. Review of Optometry, September 15, 2004.

The Mind’s Eye. MD. Bowan, Publ. 2004.

Putting the Neuro in Developmental Optometry. Presentation at the 49th Kraskin Invitational Skeffington Symposium. January 17-20, 2004.

Introducing the binocular Dissonance Test. Presentation at the 65th Middle Atlantic Optometric Congress, Sept 20-21, 2003. Monroeville, PA.

The Puzzling Power of Plus and Prism. Transcript of the 48th Kraskin Invitational Skeffington Symposium. January 16-19, 2003.

“Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, and Vision: A Subject Review”: a rebuttal,
literature review and commentary. (Optometry 2002;73:553-75). (.pdf)

Learning Problems are BRAIN Problems: What Neurology, Optometry,
Psychology, Education and Psychiatry Have in Common; MD Bowan, Publ.,
Oakmont, PA, 1999.

Vision as it integrates with the other senses; Monograph chapter in OEP
Foundation post-graduate curriculum, Vol. 40(2):1-10, Dec. 1999. (.pdf)

A Perceptual-Motor Model of Language; submitted for publication, J.
Behavioral Optom., 1999.

The Cure for Nearsightedness; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA, 1999.

Differential Diagnostic Questions to be Answered to Determine the Roles of
Vision and Perception in the Efficacy of Learning; MD Bowan, Publ.,
Oakmont, PA, 1999.

Neurodevelopmental Optometry: the difference between sight and vision; MD
Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA, 1999.

Preventing Refractive Error: What’s a Doctor to Do?; Workshop presentation,
3rd International Congress of Behavioral Optometry, Washington, DC, May
1-4, 1998. (Available as tape WS-4, OEP Foundation, Santa Ana, CA.)

What’s in a Name?; Guest Editorial, J. of Behavioral Optometry, Vol. 9(1):19, 25,1998. (.pdf)

Learning Success and the Role of Neurodevelopmental Optometry; MD Bowan,
Publ., Oakmont, PA, 1998.

Accommovergence: A New (?) Unifying Theory of Accommodation and
Convergence; Transcript of the 42nd Kraskin-Skeffington Symposium on
Vision, OEP Foundation, Santa Ana, CA, 1998.

Perceptual Problem Checklist: Categorized by Related Perceptual and Visual
Skill Areas; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA, 1996. [.pdf]

Stress and Eye: New Speculations on Refractive Error; J. Behavioral Optom.
7(5)115-22, 1996. (.pdf)

Learning and the Visual Process: the role of applied visual behavior in cognition and attention. Transcript of the 40th Skeffington Invitational Symposium, OEP Foundation, Santa Ana, CA, 1995.

The Missing Link in the Four Circles of Vision, or, It’s Time, for a Change; Transcript of the 37th Skeffington Invitational Symposium, Caryl Croisant Transcripts, OEP Foundation, Santa Ana, CA, 1992.

The OTHER Causes of Attention Deficit Disorders; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA. 1992.

Nutritional Considerations in Learning Problems; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA. 1992.

Motivation in Learning, What’s a Teacher to DO?; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont,
PA, 1992.

Learning Problems and Behavioral Changes; MD Bowan, Publ., Oakmont, PA,
1992.

Refractive Error and Personality Style; Transcript of the 36th Skeffington
Invitational Symposium, Optometric Extension Program, Santa Ana, CA, 1991.

Myopia, Astigmia and Hyperopia: Stress Diseases. An Initial Report on a
Unifying Hypothesis; Transcript of The 23rd Skeffington Invitational
Symposium, Caryl Croisant Transcripts, OEP Foundation, Santa Ana CA, 1984.

The Control of Myopia; J. of Optom. Vis. Dev. 12(2)17-24, 1981. (The Control of Myopia.pdf)