June 2011 Blog Posts (16)

I heard part of this BBC Forum radio piece earlier today called  The Power of the Image and although Margaret Livingstone, the Harvard neurobiologist, explains why not seeing depth well, can be an asset to artists, she absolutely underrates the trails and tribulations of how hard it is to live with 2D vision. 

 

When she's asked about how stereoblind people make it in life…

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Just out of college, I developed a somewhat realistic pen and ink style using a stipple technique with technical pens. These were laborious works, each taking from 45-85 hours... sometimes longer. The price I paid for this work was in considerable headaches. I often wore an eye patch on my left eye to manage the pain. I worked primarily in black and white, arranging my hand-applied dots to simulate realism. Eventually, utilizing over a dozen pens of color inks to create photorealistic works,…

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New York Times article by SANDRA BLAKESLEE

Published: June 13, 2011

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Looking back, my strabismus greatly affected my life's choices. My 'lazy eye' was discovered when I was 6. I remember that meeting with the optometrist quite well. After a brief test where I saw the wrong number of colored lights when wearing anaglyph glasses, the doctor told my mother, with me in the room, that I would never be a professional, and proceeded to go down a long list of professions I would never be able to practice: 'He'll never be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, architect,…

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I was in Hoboken today and, while in stereo, I enjoyed standing below a wonderful tree, staring up into it's branches. I traveled with my gaze through its many levels of leaves. I always think of Sue Barry when I look at a tree. When I'm in 'flatland', I'm an observer. When in stereo, I'm part of what's around me.

I was talking to my brother-in-law tonight. He asked if I was in stereo. I had gone in without realizing it... I went in on my own after a good 2 hours in flatland, having…

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I heard this report today on National Public Radio (NPR) in the US about people at a crime scene blocking out what is right in front of them. Strabismics aren't the only ones suppressing vision. Even those who have "normal" vision may block out what's in front of them. I often point this out to people who are bad listeners. They may hear what others say, but they don't listen. As my specialty is in language acquisition, I see this all the time with language learners who don't pay attention…

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I walked to the post office around 1:40PM today. Looking around, I noticed that the trees seemed to be more interesting on this day than on others - the thought crossed my mind that I may be in stereo. I dismissed the it and continued on my way.While at the post office, I made it a point to carefully read the postal signs carefully, mailed my package, and went on my way. Almost immediately I realized I had been in stereo since 1:45PM or so. It's 7:13PM now and I'm still in. That's a personal…

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To all SOVOTO members who are ICO Alumni at the AOA. You are invited to attend the Illinois College of Optometry Alumni Reception at the AOA, Optometry's Meeting. It will be held at the Grand America Hotel, Friday, June 17th, in the Envoy Salon, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Join us for complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages. We encourage you to invite your fellow alumni and prospective students to this event as well.… Continue

Five years ago, when Dr Oliver Sacks published the article "Stereo Sue" which turned my stereo-blind world upside down, I learned that some famous artists might have been monocular. Here's a recent article, A Defect That May Lead to a Masterpiece, in the New York Times about how… Continue

The Barrel Card Video is now available to demonstrate this Optometric Vision Therapy Procedure. This procedure is used to eliminate suppression, improve convergence…

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Yesterday, during session 17, Dr. B. sat me down with the stereoscope. As many of you know, a stereoscope has a viewfinder for both eyes separated by a central plane and a platform for a dual image plate. The right eye sees only the right image, the left the left. We've used this before. When looking with 'normal' eyes, the brain puts the two images together as one complete image.That's why we say that we see with our brains, not our eyes.



As I was looking into the viewer, Dr. Brennan… Continue

The World Report on Disability is now available. Click MainosMemos for more information.… Continue

AURORA, Ohio, June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Several works of Dr. John Streff, who was a pioneer in the field of developmental and behavioral optometry, a clinician-researcher at the Gesell Institute of Child Development, as well as a noted author…

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Having followed Dr. Chopra's views over the years, perhaps in this article, that was published in the Virtual Mentor of the AMA., there is a message for Optometric Vision Therapy. 

Is it possible that the Optometric Vision Therapy has the space and time to incorporate a broader perspective of looking at the whole person in a modern way?

 

What is your impression? Any comments?…

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What a difference two months makes! I had my second progress evaluation today (after my 16th session). The tests show my eyes working together and separately well. The tests Dr. Press ran me through himself showed that I'm fusing better and better and not suppressing. He noted that we seem to have avoided the period of extended double-vision in my therapy. 

I'm working now with the Brock String and am able to fuse the three beads within 4 feet of space, though that far red bead is a…

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Session 15. Boys and girls, I graduated to the Brock String today. When I first started VT, I had made my own Brock String and, at my primary evaluation, Dr. Press suggested that I not use it until my eyes were equal enough to avoid double-vision. I laid off its use and concentrated on the home exercises for the past two months. Today, Dr. B. surprised me with the string, saying 'many people learn to hate the string,' but I intend to embrace it's use as Sue does every day. 59 years in…

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