Check-up 4

4th check-up after 1 year and 2 months training. I went from 14 degrees to 8, then 4 in october last year, and now between 2 and 3. The last few bits will be the hardest... To be brief he said: 'You are doing very well, I might start believing in something I was very scepticle about at first. But I'm still scepticle' Haha yeaaah. Anyways, if I can get a diploma with this crap I should be able to learn to point my eyes at stuff simultaniously... :) Basta

Ver el mundo en estereo (Spanish)

What struck me most about this documentary was the bit starting from minute 18 about a Spanish woman with diplopia. This is the first case I found that I can really relate to, because most strabismic people suppress the second image like I did before age 18. Diplopia is harder to overcome than suppressing, because you already use both eyes but in a faulty manner so you are even further from home... Since the gravity of her case and the description of her symptoms is very similar to mine, I was happy to hear she acquired stereo vision after two to three years of vision therapy. Slow and steady wins the race.

Redes - Ver el mundo en estéreo

• Redes - Ver el mundo en estéreo

Session 30

I was in a good mood today. Went to the turkish bakery and embarked on another session, an aniversary session I'd say haha. The last two weeks the computer exercises went very well. I did them sitting, standing still, walking... The whole lot. And the images themselves moved on the screen too. Being able to do all this, means that my fusion is getting better. My accomodation and vergence system are getting more flexible. This time we made the exercises even more challenging to keep making progress. Aside from that I did an exercise that is rather hard to explain. It was a circling display with a twocoloured spiral, partly red and partly green. With the red and green glasses there was the illusion of depth. Or you would see a cone or you would see a 'hole'. Now by fixating on the center or the periphery, you are able to switch between these two perspectives. Really interesting, I am tempted to use the word 'mindfucking' but I won't :) Being able to switch rapidly between the two indicates visual and mental flexibility necessary for a fully functioning and flexible visual system. Guess I could manage but I need more practice :) Looking back at the previous 30 sessions there has been improvement, but I won't give in till a full cure has been achieved. Only a full cure has a lasting effect. This thursday new measurement will be done during the check up meeting. Curious much :)

Analysis of strabismus and its symptoms, patient prognosis and success rate of Vision Therapy

My awesome friend and medical student Stephanie Johanns found the success rates of Vision Therapy for me through a medical search engine. She got me the Optometric clinical practice guidlines for the care of patients with accommodative and vergence dysfunction published by the American Optometric Association. She wanted me to have this scientific text aside from inspiring stories like Susan Barry's. 'Accommodative and vergence dysfunction' is a fancy phrase for (manifest as well as latent) strabismus, which in turn is a fancy word for being cross-eyed. This text, aside from being a bit technical, contains a positive message. Basically it says you are going to suffer a lot for a very long time (if not detected and treated early in childhood) but in the end with a lot of hard work most cases can be resolved. Well, relatively positive that is! If you are looking for solid information on binocular vision issues, their effects  and the success rate of Vision Therapy as a treatment, this is the document for you.

 http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-18.pdf

I took some snapshots of the parts that I felt were most important to me personally.

 
The above article mainly concerns intermittent strabismus, also known as phorias. Manifest strabismus or tropias can be treated equally successful but generally take longer to deal with. For more studies and further reading on the success rates of Vision Therapy please go to VisionTherapy.ca.

Session 29

Yesterday I had session 29. Fusion remains, now we are taking it up a nodge with fusing constantly moving objects on a computer screen. I got some of them as take home exercises. In the meanwhile I try to stay moving. Balance and exercise make me feel better. I try to limit the time I'm sitting down. So I run, bike, read while walking... Total body movement. I can really feel everything is connected. Over the years I let it come to the point of systemic fatigue and will find my way out of it :)

It's like solving a cross word puzzle while being eaten by a tiger

In previous generations, when survival depended on the ability to hunt, fish, and farm, the visual system had to respond to constantly changing, distant stimuli. Good distance visual acuity and stereoscopic vision were of paramount importance. Today, the emphasis has shifted from distance to two-dimensional near vision tasks such as reading, desk work, and computer viewing. In some persons, the visual system is incapable of performing these types of activities efficiently either because these tasks lack the stereoscopic cues required for accurate vergence responses or because the tasks require accommodative and vergence functioning that is accurate and sustained without fatigue. When persons who lack appropriate vergence or accommodative abilities try to accomplish near vision tasks, they may develop ocular discomfort or become fatigued, further reducing visual performance.

Accommodative and vergence dysfunctions are diverse visual anomalies. Any of these dysfunctions can interfere with a child's school performance, prevent an athlete from performing at his or her highest level of ability, or impair one's ability to function efficiently at work. Those persons who perform considerable amounts of close work or reading, or who use computers extensively, are more prone to develop signs and symptoms related to accommodative or vergence dysfunction.

Symptoms commonly associated with accommodative and vergence anomalies include blurred vision, headache, ocular discomfort, ocular or systemic fatigue, diplopia, motion sickness, and loss of concentration during a task performance. The prevalence of accommodative and vergence disorders, combined with their impact on everyday activities, makes this a significant area of concern.

This is the introduction of the guidelines for the treatment of vergence and accommodative disorders by the American Optometric Association. More about this text in later a later post!

Stereo Sue on TED (Ideas worth spreading)