Our Doctors

  Dr. Alan Berman    Dr. Rachel Hawran    Dr. Eric Bran    Dr. Donald Teig.

Dr. Donald S. Teig is the founder and Co-Director of Ridgefield Family Eyecare and the Institute for Sports Vision in Ridgefield, CT. Twenty-five years ago he pioneered work in visual-motor performance training with Major League Baseball. Subsequently, Dr. Teig and his staff would have the opportunity to work with eleven Major League Baseball clubs, the men's and women's pro golf and tennis tours, several NBA basketball clubs, many Olympic teams, several teams in professional football and hockey, and the Joffrey ballet.

Dr. Teig received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Buffalo in 1966. He earned a B.S. in Science and his Doctorate from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1970.

He established the first clinic for the treatment of perceptual problems in children with learning disabilities in the U.S. Army in 1971 at Fort Polk, Louisiana for which he received the Army Commendation Medal.

He is a past president of the International Academy of Sports Vision, past chairman of the American Optometric Association's Sports Vision Section and has been the author of numerous articles on the relationship of sports to vision. He has lectured throughout the world on this topic and originated most of the equipment and techniques being used in the field today.

Dr. Teig has appeared on several network television and radio programs discussing sports performance including featured segments on NBC Dateline, the Today Show, ESPN's SportsCenter, SportsChannel, HBO, and has also hosted and contributed to sports segments on New York's all-sports radio station, WFAN, which has earned him the nickname of "Doctor Jock".

Dr. Alan Berman received both his Bachelor of Science Degree and Doctorate of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1982, after completing a Bachelor Degree in Psychology (Cum Laude) at Boston University in 1976. He is certified to use therapeutic pharmaceutical agents by the State University of New York, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and the State of Connecticut. He is also licensed to practice optometry in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Dr. Berman is a partner in Ridgefield Family Eye Care as well as the Co-Director of the Institute for Sports Vision in Ridgefield, CT. He is a member of the American Optometric Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the Sports Vision and Contact Lens Section of the American Optometric Association, and the Connecticut Association of Optometrists. He is also a former President of the International Academy of Sports Vision. Dr. Berman is the founder and present co-chairman of the Vision Management Group, a national think tank and study group of optometric practitioners.

Dr. Berman has also conducted several clinical studies, published several journal articles and textbook chapters, and is a frequent lecturer on various clinical aspects of eyecare. He also has been a spokesperson and consultant to various contact lens manufacturers and organizations.

Dr. Eric Bran spent four years in a private group eye care practice in New York City before coming to Ridgefield . He is a New Jersey native and attended Ithaca College , where he received his Bachelor of Science in Biology. Dr. Bran’s professional education was in Chicago at the Illinois College of Optometry where his specialty training included pediatrics and management of eye disease. His professional interests are in pediatric eye care, specialty contact lens fitting, LASIK surgery co-management, sports vision and vision therapy. Dr. Bran is a partner in Ridgefield Family Eye Care and a Co-Director of the Institute for Sports Vision. He is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Connecticut Optometric Association and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development providing services in developmental vision care and vision therapy.

Dr. Bran is an editor and author for a monthly optometry magazine about new products and practice management. He is also a consultant for The Power Practice, the leading optometry practice-building consultation service in the United States.

In his free time, Dr. Bran plays ice hockey, soccer and enjoys scuba diving and photography.

 

 

Dr. Rachel Hawran is the newest member of Ridgefield Family Eye Care. She is originally from Rockland County, New York. She attended the University of Buffalo, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology. Dr. Hawran earned her Doctorate from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, with a strong interest in pathology. While attending the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Hawran was the trustee for the American Optometric Student Association. Her responsibilities included organizing events and informing her peers of the latest trends in the Optometric world.

Her professional areas of expertise include contact lens fitting, pathology, low vision, corneal refractive therapy, lasik management, and vision therapy.