My journey with Strabismus
Hello everyone,
My name is Anna Altheide, I'm 25 years old, I'm from La Quinta, CA, and I've had Strabismus for as long as I can remember. As far as I can tell, I was born with it, or it developed from a very early age due to genetics, as my father had it (as well as his father). As a child, my parents were hesitant to subject me to surgical treatment, so for some time, I tried patching, which was a long road to no where. According to Dr. Carl Hillier of Lemon Grove, CA - who, along with Linda Solway, recommended I join Sovoto - I am Exotropian in my left eye, with a very slight Amblyopia.
I have been seeing Dr. Hillier and co. for about the last twelve weeks for adult vision therapy. From early on, we set out three main goals: 1) To know when my eyes are out of alignment (the feeling), 2) to align my eyes, and 3) to obtain full stereopsis.
In the run-up to my 10 week analysis (which will actually take place on my twelfth week... who knew), I am proud to say that, with lots of practice, home therapy, and in-office work, I have been able to hold full stereopsis for up to 15 minutes. Although I have not reached the point of full control, I have developed the ability to "prompt" myself and hold eye alignment with supervision for brief periods at a time. This gives me tremendous hope that I may soon develop full eye alignment and stereopsis, much like Dr. Hillier's other adult patients.
Vision therapy has exceeded my expectations and has been a very emotional experience across the board. I have already experienced the highs and lows, and having gotten so used to "the way things are," I find myself taken aback by new discoveries and still a bit overwhelmed. I now recognize the feeling of when my eyes are both out of alignment and in alignment. I'm happy to say that I am on the road to "recovery," or "normalcy" at the least.
I can't wait to go to my first 3D movie, wear the 3D glasses, and have the images pop out at me like they're coming alive. I feel as though I've already reached that step, and though I'm sure my eyes would fatigue quickly, I think I could take on the challenge. I am sure a lot more developed than I was three months ago!
Anyway, beyond my life with Strabismus, I have many hobbies, including writing (I run my own blog with a friend at www.deadawesome.net - we talk about movies, television, entertainment, the whole enchilada), reading, singing, and traveling. Strabismus doesn't OWN ME, but it effects my confidence when I speak to other people and go through life on a day-by-day basis. Having worked in retail for several years, I often feel very fatigued, and in those moments, I know my eyes are all over the place. But the body is smarter than we are often led to believe, and I am of great hope that one day, I'll have full eye alignment and a hell of a lot more confidence.
Thank you to Dr. Hillier and the team at San Diego Center for Vision Care. Keep up the good work. I look forward to coming week-after-week to continue on this journey. I also look forward to meeting even more Adult Strabismus patients who are taking the chance to fix something "past our prime." What a bunch of you-know-what.
Here is a photo of me last year in Paris, before I began vision therapy:
Since beginning vision therapy (and awkwardly practicing with my webcam):
Best wishes,
Anna
Views: 355
Tags: 3D, Adult, Exotropia, Stereopsis, Strabismus, vision
Comment
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Comment by Kathe Rowe on August 28, 2011 at 1:54pm -
Hi Anna, Congratulations on your progress and thanks for sharing your story and pictures. You will love reading Sue Barry's book. It helped me to understand why I was never good at catching a ball, things like spotting a bird up in a tree, etc. Of course I knew it had to do with my vision, but Sue explains how the eyes work and why using only one eye is so inefficient. Have fun on your trip to London!
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Comment by Greg Voth on August 26, 2011 at 7:13am -
Wonderful story. Congratulations on your progress! Being able to see the difference in flatland and the world as most others see it is an privilege I also share. Paraphrasing Sue Barry, as posted to me, enjoy the journey, you are one of the few who know the difference. I, for one, will never take stereopsis for granted and look forward to the day I wake into that world.
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Comment by Dr. Carl G. Hillier on August 25, 2011 at 10:43pm -
Anna, I'm so "proud"! This is all of your work and awareness! We need a picture from London with your eyes straight, and give Sherlock something to think about!
Carl Hillier, OD FCOVD
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Comment by Anna Altheide on August 23, 2011 at 3:05am -
Thank you, Dr. Fortenbacher! :)
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Comment by Dr. Dan L. Fortenbacher on August 22, 2011 at 10:43pm -
Anna, Thank you for sharing your wonderful story of hope and visual exploration. It especially nice that you are able to share your own photos of before and present as you have just begun your vision therapy treatment. Keep up the great work!!
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Comment by Susanna Z on August 22, 2011 at 6:26pm -
Breathtaking!
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Comment by Anna Altheide on August 22, 2011 at 5:29pm
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P.S., I realize I may have sounded strange by saying "this isn't a permanent thing." Sadly we can't edit comments! What I meant to say is that, as of now, though I am practicing to mold stereopsis into my day-to-day life, it is not a permanent thing yet. Unfortunately, I still have to prompt myself, though that's my personal homework. Just wanted to clear that up!
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Comment by Anna Altheide on August 22, 2011 at 5:25pm
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Hi, Susanna. Thank you! This isn't a permanent thing, but I find I am able to "prompt" myself more immediately, recognize the feeling, and run with it. Still, you can see the slight discomfort in my eyebrow. I'm still working on making the feeling more natural. Me and Dr. Hillier quickly re-associated the feeling with a "buzz" rather than an "ouch" to motivate me.
Anyhoo, regarding stereopsis, it's hard to describe the feeling in full words, but it feels like you're being led toward something by a magnet. Everything is direct, right in front of you, focused. I've described this feeling to Dr. Hillier... it feels like you're being pulled by a tight rope, whereas when I don't have stereopsis, it's like someone's dangling a few pieces of string. Without stereopsis, it isn't secure, it's "loose," it feels like something isn't tightened. On top of that, during this 15 minutes, I was confronted with 3D images, which were bouncing in front of me like they were in the room. With mind control, I could control how sharp or aligned the images were, and if I fell out of stereopsis, all I had to do was hold my finger in front of me and it was back. Quite an incredible feeling and very liberating to have that much control.
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Comment by Susanna Z on August 22, 2011 at 5:14pm
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Your eyes post-Paris look great. Please do describe how the world looks during your 15 minutes of stereopsis. I'm very curious!
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