Leaving Flatland

I remember the phone conversation I had with Greg when I referred him to Dr. Len Press for vision therapy many months ago.  Imagine my delight when I received this email from him a few days ago…….

I just left you a thank you message and thought I might get choked up when leaving it, which I did. My therapy with Leonard Press has been wonderful, thanks to your recommending that I consider looking him up when I called you 5 months ago asking for help. My therapy has taken 46 sessions to date. Dr. Press’s office has been such a wonderful and supportive place. They even included a mention about me and my blog in their most recent newsletter.  I’ve now woken in stereo for the past 4 days and remained in stereo the entire time.

I can see 3D movies for the first time in my 59 years, though they are hardly the only payoff in my effort to see in stereo. Our world is an amazing place… I find it hard to believe that I lived 59 years of my life in flatland. I still have a ways to go – I can go much deeper in stereo with a little Brock string or other exercise, even reading small text on my iPhone brings me into deep 3D. No headaches and no double vision during any of my sessions or for the pat 5 months – that was my greatest fear. It’s hard to admit that I almost cancelled starting VT for fear of those damn headaches.

I might not pass all the clinical tests – I still have a hard time finding the symbols in the stipple squares so many show to determine whether someone has stereopsis. As Dr. Press says, that’s a special skill not utilized much in real life so I shouldn’t lose sleep over it. I have another progress evaluation on Monday – I’m curious what that will bring.

I’m constantly telling my story to anyone who will listen.  I’ve put together a starter kit for those I run in to who might benefit, like my brother-in-law (stick, straw, eye patch, Hart chart and Lora’s card). I contacting my former optometrists to share with them my progress – sadly, they weren’t at all interested. Not to worry, I’m continuing my blog and hope that my next children’s book will be on vision therapy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you ever need my help in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.

Greg

Greg Voth
is leaving Flatland

http://www.sovoto.com/profile/GregVoth

There are so many things about this email that make me happy!  Obviously it is about a man who was helped with vision therapy, at an age when many would have said don’t bother, he is way beyond the “critical period” when visual problems can be overcome.  And this man has become an advocate of this brand of optometry, reaching out to other people who might benefit from vision therapy.  It also makes me happy because somehow, despite everything that is wrong with our healthcare system, I was able to play a part in getting Greg the help he needed.

What makes me happiest about this email is feeling Greg’s joy every morning when he awakes in stereo.   Yes, the world is an amazing place, it’s a 3-D movie 24/7, and you don’t need special glasses.  I tried to imagine what it would be like to experience stereo for the first time after living in Flatland for over 50 years!  I tried to think about where I would go, what I would try to re-experience.  I thought about the Grand Canyon, or Times Square or just going to a football game.   And then I thought about the simpler things in life like taking a walk in the woods, parking a car, or looking at my reflection in a mirror.  EVERYTHING must be different when you leave Flatland.

Congratulations Greg on leaving Flatland, and thanks for the wonderful email.  Even though I have had binocular vision and stereoscopic depth perception for my entire life, I am looking at the world a little differently today.

Read about Greg’s journey here.

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8 Behaviors of Struggling Students Could Mean Vision Issues

Today’s guest blogger is Dr. Kellye Knueppel.  Dr. Knueppel practices in Brookfield,  Wisconsin.   She has helped over 2,000 people of all ages overcome their vision problems, since 1995. 

Now that kids are back-to-school, they can expect to encounter new grades, challenges, and experiences.    In these new learning situations, parents need to be especially vigilant of vision problems beyond visual acuity issues.

Visual acuity, commonly called 20/20 eyesight, is just one component of good vision.  A properly functioning visual system must also include good visual skills, such as eye teaming and tracking, as well as visual processing.  Many of these visual skills are not detected by typical vision screening.

Entering a new grade can cause some of these vision problems to become symptomatic.  Increased visual challenges, accelerated comprehension levels, and even computer use can cause breakdowns in the visual system if your child has an undetected vision problem.

As a parent, you’ll be the first to notice these issues, as your child’s new teacher(s) may be unfamiliar with his or her abilities.  You should then be extremely vigilant about any of these telltale symptoms of a vision problem.  Your child may exhibit the following behaviors or symptoms:

1. Come home from a day at school extremely fatigued, even though he or she is eating and drinking properly.

2.  Exhibit sloppy penmanship and disorganized notes.

3.  Complain about not being able to stay focused on a book, or to find that textbooks make him or her sleepy.

4.  Experience dizziness, headaches, or fatigued eyes.

5.  Become frustrated easily.

6.  Begin to hold books very close to his or her face when reading.

7.  Becomes easily distracted, or has a short attention span.

8.  Refuse to read, even if he or she was an avid reader before.

Make your child’s teacher aware of these issues and have the teacher record any symptoms he or she notices in class.  (You may want to pass along our Vision and Learning Guide as a frame of reference for the teacher as well.)

If the symptoms persist, consider taking your child in for a Functional Vision Test.   Remember, it’s often after the first month of school when these symptoms appear.  This is why it’s critical for parents to be on the watch for undetected vision problems.

Click here to download a free guide on undetected vision problems.

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