Stop selling exams.
Start solving performance.
Reimbursements shrink every year. Online refraction gets better every year. And every exam in your market looks identical to the one down the street — which means you compete on the only variable left: price. You didn't spend four years earning a doctorate to become interchangeable.
Gym and facility owners: the same door. Partnership runs through A.R.E.S. Certification first — then enrollment into running it the Ares way, on the A.R.E.S. Performance Suite and EMR, with our protocols and progressions. Certified, then equipped, then live.
Refraction is a commodity. Performance is not. A.R.E.S. Certification is the complete system for running a cash-pay performance division inside your practice — the clinical protocols, the training progressions, the equipment roadmap, and the business model. Your degree qualifies you. This differentiates you.
Level 1 | Bronze
$5,000For Performance Staff & Coaches
Built for athletic trainers, performance coaches, and team staff ready to integrate the A.R.E.S. framework directly into their organization's daily operations.
Value Proposition: Learn to measure and train your athletes' reaction times and decision-making speed. This immersive 2-day intensive, led personally by Dr. LaPlaca, goes beyond basic protocols. You will study the underlying neuroscience, learn the technology, and get the hands-on practice needed to run the system on the floor. Stop guessing and start measuring neuro-cognitive performance.
Level 2 | Silver
$7,500For Optometrists
Designed for optometrists ready to make elite sports vision the cornerstone of their practice and dominate their local market.
Value Proposition: Turn your practice into a high-performance destination. This comprehensive 3-day intensive, led personally by Dr. LaPlaca, provides the clinical and operational blueprint to deploy the A.R.E.S. system as a highly profitable standalone facility or primary practice pillar. You'll receive the exact frameworks we use to attract and train elite athletes.
The A.R.E.S. Standard: We demand total commitment. To qualify for Level 2, sports vision must represent at least 50% of your practice. We do not partner with practitioners treating this as a "side hustle." Elite athletes demand practitioners who live and breathe their world—to succeed with A.R.E.S., you must be all in.
Level 3 | Gold Mastery
Exclusive Mastery Level
The third level of A.R.E.S. certification. Level 3 is an exclusive mastery tier, led personally by Dr. LaPlaca, reserved strictly for Level 2 Optometrists who have successfully deployed the A.R.E.S. system in the trenches for a minimum of two years.
Value Proposition: Level 3 gives you access to protocols that are not yet released, direct collaboration on research, and a mastermind group of Level 3 practitioners.
Trusted by Clinical & Performance Pioneers
"Going through the ARES certification was an incredible experience. There are a lot of people doing pieces of sports vision, but what has been created through Ares Elite is truly on another level. This isn't just a collection of drills or technology—it's a complete, highly developed system for evaluating and training visual performance in athletes.
What really sets the program apart is Dr. LaPlaca's understanding of neurovisual processing and the way he has translated that knowledge into something uniquely applicable to sports and athletic performance. He has figured out how to take incredibly complex concepts around how the brain processes visual information and turn them into a structured, practical system for assessment and training. From the protocols and proprietary training programs to the clinical systems, analytics, and ability to objectively track progress and performance levels, everything works together with a purpose.
The three-day intensive was packed with information, but it was practical, engaging, and immediately applicable. He is incredibly knowledgeable, a great teacher, and genuinely one of the nicest and easiest people to work with. He is invested in ensuring success and continues to be an incredibly accessible resource.
Ares Elite has created something truly unique in this space and, in my opinion, has set the standard for what comprehensive sports vision training should look like. I can't imagine a better person to learn from, and the certification was absolutely worth the investment."
"Every aspect of the A.R.E.S. Certification has been thoughtfully developed, backed by evidence and science, and presented in a way that is both practical and immediately applicable to real-world athlete development. After more than 18 years working across high school, collegiate, and professional sport, this is one of the most comprehensive and valuable certifications I’ve experienced. Dr. Joe is building something truly special, and we’re excited to integrate the A.R.E.S. system into the athletes we serve."
"The ARES certification process was a valuable and well-structured experience from start to finish. Over the course of the three-day program, I gained a thorough understanding of the ARES philosophy, learned how to perform and implement the various training drills, and developed the skills needed to help athletes improve their visual performance and reach their full potential. The hands-on instruction, knowledgeable staff, and supportive learning environment made the experience both engaging and practical. I truly appreciated the professionalism throughout the certification journey and would highly recommend the ARES certification to any healthcare or performance professional looking to integrate sports vision training into their practice."
Gyms & Training Facilities
What a partnership requires
Facility partnership is not a licence to hang a logo. It runs through certification, and then through running the system the way it was built to run. Four requirements, all of them non-negotiable:
One or more of your trainers commits to becoming A.R.E.S. certified. Not an owner who read the manual — a trainer who runs the floor.
You implement the system fully, the way we run it. Not the parts that fit your existing schedule — the system.
Every drill run to protocol on the A.R.E.S. Performance Suite. Consistency is what makes one athlete’s numbers comparable to another’s — and to their own, six months later.
Results recorded in the A.R.E.S. Electronic Medical Record, so you can objectively prove progress to the athletes paying for it. Proof is the product.
Meet those four and you are not competing with the facility across town on equipment and price. You are the only one in your market who can measure what you claim to train.
The Official Accreditation
Upon completion of the A.R.E.S. intensive, clinicians receive the physical A.R.E.S. Certification of Competency, alongside digital accreditation badges and listing in our official provider directory.
This validates your training and unlocks full access to the proprietary A.R.E.S. EMR platform and patient tracking tools.
