http://www.brighteyesnews.com/2009/04/30/interview-with-vt-blogger-heather-fitzpatrick/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:52:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.brighteyesnews.com/2009/04/30/interview-with-vt-blogger-heather-fitzpatrick/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Lisa Watters Sun, 24 May 2009 20:11:31 +0000 http://brighteyesnews.com/?p=524#comment-89 I just wanted to say how inspiring Heather's story is and to share a little of mine. I went severely 'cross-eyed' in '68 when I was three years old ( because of a 'nervous breakdown', according to our family doctor at the time; I definitely had a lot going on emotionally around loss and abandonment issues then so maybe he was right.) I had my first operation at 4 years old and then another three or four years later. The second operation overcorrected so that I went from having Esotropia to Intermittent Exotropia. It was at that point my doctor believes that I shut down my right eye (because I was seeing double) and relied solely on my left eyes when focusing, although I seem to have always used both eyes when seeing peripherally. Long story short, in the last four or five years I began to have almost constant Exotropia and looked into having another surgery (and advised to have such by an optometrist.) But then I learned about Vision Therapy (through research on the Internet). I live in Asheville, NC and the closest Vision Therapy office I could find was in Charlotte, NC, a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive each way. Since last October I have driven down there every Wednesday afternoon for a 6 p.m. appointment, stayed overnight, and had another a.m. appointment before driving back to Asheville. Next week I will make my final trek down there! What have I accomplished? I learned how to turn my right eye back on again and then bring the two separate images I see when both eyes are on together into one image! I am now seeing everything with BOTH my eyes. I have also begun to cultivate depth perception! I cannot express how incredible this experience has been; I have such a sense of control with my vision now instead of always feeling at some level at loss in the world. I am noticing how I not only 'see' the world differently but also experience it differently. Having been shy all my life (at least since I was three) I now 'look' people in the eye with much more confidence. I was living with a disability and didn't even know it! I know so many people with strabismus care the most about correcting it cosmetically (as one of my doctor's patients does now, only wanting to invest in a pair of prism glasses that will make his eyes 'look 'normal. But to have actual control of your eyes, to finally be able to really see the world and trust what you see, to be able to make eye contact with people and not feel self-conscious, that is worth so much more than a cosmetic 'fix' only. I just wanted to say how inspiring Heather’s story is and to share a little of mine. I went severely ‘cross-eyed’ in ‘68 when I was three years old ( because of a ‘nervous breakdown’, according to our family doctor at the time; I definitely had a lot going on emotionally around loss and abandonment issues then so maybe he was right.) I had my first operation at 4 years old and then another three or four years later. The second operation overcorrected so that I went from having Esotropia to Intermittent Exotropia. It was at that point my doctor believes that I shut down my right eye (because I was seeing double) and relied solely on my left eyes when focusing, although I seem to have always used both eyes when seeing peripherally. Long story short, in the last four or five years I began to have almost constant Exotropia and looked into having another surgery (and advised to have such by an optometrist.) But then I learned about Vision Therapy (through research on the Internet). I live in Asheville, NC and the closest Vision Therapy office I could find was in Charlotte, NC, a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive each way. Since last October I have driven down there every Wednesday afternoon for a 6 p.m. appointment, stayed overnight, and had another a.m. appointment before driving back to Asheville. Next week I will make my final trek down there! What have I accomplished? I learned how to turn my right eye back on again and then bring the two separate images I see when both eyes are on together into one image! I am now seeing everything with BOTH my eyes. I have also begun to cultivate depth perception! I cannot express how incredible this experience has been; I have such a sense of control with my vision now instead of always feeling at some level at loss in the world. I am noticing how I not only ’see’ the world differently but also experience it differently. Having been shy all my life (at least since I was three) I now ‘look’ people in the eye with much more confidence. I was living with a disability and didn’t even know it! I know so many people with strabismus care the most about correcting it cosmetically (as one of my doctor’s patients does now, only wanting to invest in a pair of prism glasses that will make his eyes ‘look ‘normal. But to have actual control of your eyes, to finally be able to really see the world and trust what you see, to be able to make eye contact with people and not feel self-conscious, that is worth so much more than a cosmetic ‘fix’ only.

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