For Bella Vision, Community and Vision Therapy Are a Perfect Match

Janet Monaco Wilson, OD, FCOVD,
founder and owner of Bella Vision.

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Like many independent practices, Bella Vision, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is homegrown. Janet Monaco Wilson, OD, FCOVD, founded the practice in 2014, after years of practicing throughout the state. Opening an independent practice meant moving closer to home for Dr. Wilson, who earned her degree from the Southern College of Optometry, but her vision was more involved than that. “I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of practice modalities—including corporate, multidisciplinary and private practices,” Dr. Wilson told Vision Monday.

“When I moved to Spartanburg, I wanted to create an upscale private practice that did not necessarily fall into any of the above criteria. I want our patients to feel welcome, in a clean, friendly environment, and be able to access the latest in eyecare while also having the opportunity for a unique eyewear shopping experience.”

To achieve those goals, Bella Vision offers the standard fare and then some for an optometrist’s office: comprehensive eye exams, contact lens evaluations, pediatric services, emergency services, ocular disease management, laser vision correction consultations—and a unique, comprehensive vision therapy program, which is, perhaps, the practice’s star pupil. .

The vision therapy program began in 2015 as a result of “a glaring need for its value to our patients,” said Dr. Wilson. When she realized her patients were lacking in vision therapy treatment, Dr. Wilson began traveling back and forth between Spartanburg and Washington D.C. to learn from Lynn Lowell, OD, FCOVD, as well as to San Diego for training with Robert Sanet, OD, FCOVD. Along the way, she earned her fellowship from the College of Vision Development.


The front desk at Bella Vision in Spartanburg, South Carolina.	The interior of Bella Vision.

Having a fully-fledged vision therapy program allows Dr. Wilson to help her patients in ways many other practices might not be able to. She explained, “We are able to help patients of all ages with strabismus (eye turns), amblyopia (lazy eye), eye tracking, eye focusing and eye teaming problems. We also help patients who have sustained traumatic brain injury and concussions with vision rehabilitation. What I love about vision therapy is that it is such a versatile and individualized program—it can meet the needs of a variety of patients, diagnoses and age groups.”


Dr. Wilson (l) and vision therapist Kristen Faust (r) congratulate Bella Vision vision therapy graduate, Alex, in the store.	Vision therapy is available to both children and adults at Bella Vision. Here, Dr. Wilson (l) and vision therapist Kristen Faust (r) meet with program graduate Thomson, who struggled to read without experiencing fatigue before vision therapy.

Alongside this strong vision therapy program, Dr. Wilson said Bella Vision “[aims] to provide exceptional customer service and provide our patients with new eyewear trends that come to larger markets first.” While competing with larger markets, Bella Vision has been able to evolve with changes in the eyewear and eyecare industries. Dr. Wilson said, “as the landscape of glasses has evolved, we have changed from carrying more accessible, bigger brand names to more independent, quality handmade lines that provide our patients with the latest styles.”

In addition to focusing on vision therapy and the other aspects of their practice, the team at Bella Vision maintains an active, eye-catching Instagram presence. Their warm, inviting feed features images of vision therapy program graduates, alongside a touching blurb recounting their story. They show off new frames, celebrate team members’ birthdays, and post for other holidays and special events, too. Above all, the Bella Vision Instagram account showcases a strong community—something Dr. Wilson considers a central piece of her practice.

The Bella Vision Instagram page.

“What I love most about Spartanburg is that, although we live in an up-and-coming city, there is a great sense of community,” Dr. Wilson told VM. “People are supportive of small businesses and of the many of the great causes that are supported locally. I love being able to see our patients out in the community, whether that is at special events, or simply out to dinner.

“Getting to know patients and their families outside of the exam room, I feel, allows me to provide a more personalized experience. There is nothing more rewarding than speaking with patients outside of the office and hearing that their double vision has subsided, they experience less headaches, their children are performing better in school, or they simply look fabulous in their glasses,” she said.


The exterior of Bella Vision in Spartanburg, South Carolina.	The Bella Vision team celebrated 5 years in business in February, 2019.

Vision therapy is just one part of a larger puzzle for Bella Vision—one that comes together to create a unique, lively independent practice focused on customer experience, community, connection and sincerity. “I feel a personal responsibility to be a better doctor every day,” said Dr. Wilson. “Part of that includes taking the necessary time with each patient to ensure understanding and treatment. The other part is developing new services that allow us to provide that next level of care, such as vision therapy.”