The last new book that really got me excited was Susan Barry’s, “Fixing My Gaze.” It is a unique book about the how and why vision therapy works. I was even fortunate enough to interview Dr. Barry about her book.

Well, now there is another book out that I am equally excited about. It is called, “See It. Say It. Do It!” and is written by my friend and colleague, Dr. Lynn F. Hellerstein.  I know that the subject, developing visualization ability to improve overall performance and quality of life, was a long-time interest of Dr. Hellerstein, and I was interested to see how this would be treated in a book format.

Like “Fixing My Gaze,” this new book is very easy to read and is accessible to anyone with interest. I have given away several copies to patients and friends, and they have agreed that this is useful to anyone who wants to improve their life and abilities. You can read what Edna, our Vision Therapist, had to say about it here.

So, I am thankful that Dr. Hellerstein took some time from her very busy schedule to answer some questions about, ” See It. Say It. Do It!” Read the rest of this entry »

“If you imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you dream it, you can become it.”- William Arthur Ward

How many times have we seen the impossible become possible through a simple thought or dream?  Can you imagine all the possibilities and opportunities that would open up in your life just by taking one small step towards your dream or goal?

In Dr. Lynn F. Hellerstein’s book, See It.  Say It.  Do It!, she reinforces this concept of visualization.  By teaching a child to visualize first,  then to verbally affirm that goal as if he has already achieved  it, and finally to take the necessary actions to accomplishing that goal, you are giving that child invaluable tools that will last him his whole lifetime.  You will have instilled a self-confidence that would ensure him to become successful in any area of his life.

It sounds so simple, and yet we don’t even realize what an impact it could actually have in our daily lives.  Some of us already use visualization and don’t even know it, but we don’t use visualization to its full potential.  But if we start now , we can teach ourselves, children, and others how such a simple, yet powerful concept can truly alter people’s lives forever.

Dr.  Hellerstein shows us how easily we can learn and teach visualization techniques by giving us step-by-step instructions and fun activities that can be utilized in any age group.  If you want to make a difference in someone’s life, or even in your own, then you need to read this book and discover for yourself just how powerful your visualization can be for you!

Edna Moore, Vision Therapist

Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare

I’ve been a big fan of Susan Barry ever since I first read about her in The New Yorker several years ago. I was an even bigger fan after her book “Fixing My Gaze” was published this year. As a neuroscientist and educator, she has written a very accessible book about her remarkable experience with vision therapy as an adult.

I’ve become so enamored with “Fixing My Gaze” that I have shared many copies with friends, held an online contest to give a the book as a prize, and even interviewed Dr. Barry. So I was delighted to see this morning that the book has been selected as the #4 top science book by Amazon.com for 2009. This is very fitting, due to the easy-reading style of a very complex and fascinating subject.

Congrats to Dr. Barry for the well-deserved praise for a fine piece of work!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us: FacebookTwitter

The other day I downloaded Chris Brogan and Julian Smith’s “Trust Agents” to listen to in the car on my way to and from work. I don’t remember where, but I had heard some positive things and wanted to check it out.

I’m about halfway through and liking it so much, that I wanted to establish a social media reading list. I just read Tribes, by Seth Godin on recommendation from Julia Gorzka and I already knew that I wanted to read Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It” next, but what after that?

So did a very informal poll on Twitter and here are the tweets I received:

@JuliaGorzka: Post Tribes Reading List: Groundswell by Charlene Li & Josh Bernhoff. Lots of great examples.

@JuliaGorzka:  Re-Imagine by Tom Peters, currently reading & loving Re-Imagine by Tom Peters

@tweetmaker: Serious about SMM? Read @google (Kaushik Avinash) blog and peruse Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” frequently.

When I joked that I probably wasn’t *that* serious….

@tweetmaker: My thrust: Insights about how one might approach & leverage SMM abound in sources where no direct mention of SMM exists.

@social_forces: Gladwell’s “Tipping Point” and Godin’s “Ideavirus” for a 1-2 punch?

I mentioned I hadn’t heard of “Ideavirus”

@social_forces: It’s a fine read. What Godin lacks vs Gladwell’s eloquence, he makes up 4 w/ practical application. Like a “how to” for tipping pts.

@missdestructo Hmm. How To Win Friends and Influence People is a good start…. then as far as SM goes, I love Trust Agents.

@GiftsTV current ones I’m reading – Word of Mouth Marketing – Andy Sernovitz and Six Pixels of Seperation – Mitch Joel – others you found ?

@lizzharmon: That’s tough. Hard to narrow it down to 2: Trust Agents & Tribes; also Socialnomics & Twitter Power. I read a lot.

@lizzharmon: I think I’d add Groundswell and anything by Brian Solis.

@chrisbrogan: The New Community Rules by @tamar, and Six Pixels of Separation by @mitchjoel

And my favorite…..

@NetWeave BTW, I know some folks will disagree heartily with me, that’s just my opinion.I believe that any book on SM is obsolete by the time the ink dries. Spend your reading time on @Mashable, @TechCrunch, etc.

So there you go. That should keep you busy until the new year. And by then you’ll have a bunch more to read.

If you have other suggestions of read books, please leave a comment so I can add them to the list.

Happy Reading.

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us:  FacebookTwitter

As far as I am concerned, the coolest thing a kid can be spotted with is a book. It doesn’t really matter if it is Harry Potter or my daughter’s current favorite, “Llama Llama Red Pajama.”

Now that we have the new kid’s area, we need to fill our kid’s library! What books are popular for kids 12 and under right now? If  two of your children saw a stack of books, which one would they fight over?

Please submit a comment, tweet @brightetestampa, or  email doc@brighteyestampa.com with any suggestions, so we can have the best stocked kids library in Westchase!

Thanks in advance!

Be Well.

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare

As readers of this blog and those that follow us on Twitter know, there is an exciting book was recently been published about a woman who achieved great success with vision therapy at age 48. It is called “Fixing My Gaze” by Susan Barry, Ph.D. It has been very popular and at one point was the 367th most sold book on Amazon.com

When the book was released, I pre-ordered copies for my office. I read it and had the staff read it. I loved the way Dr. Barry writes and her accessibility. In fact, I liked it so much that I recently held an online contest to give a copy away.

Well, the contest caught the attention  of  “Stereo Sue”, as she is nicknamed, and she graciously agreed to an online interview.

Dr. B: Dr. Barry, thank you so much for being participating in this interview. I know that vision therapy programs can vary tremendously from patient to patient. How long was your office therapy with Dr. Ruggiero?

Sue: I had about 12 months of office therapy spread over one and one-half years.

How long before you saw definitive progress?

I began to see progress within the first month. My gaze appeared more stable and I began to notice pockets of space between objects.

Regardless of whether a patient is 5, 45, or 95 years old, vision therapy can be a lot of work. Was it hard to stay motivated?

Yes and no. The changes in my vision encouraged me to continue. I also saw myself as my own experiment and liked thinking about how I was changing my vision and what changes were occurring in my brain. The most important thing I did to keep motivated was to keep a journal of how far I could go with each procedure. This taught me that I was making progress even during the weeks when I felt that nothing was happening. My vision therapists were extremely encouraging and fun to work with. My optometrist, Dr. Theresa Ruggiero, was always so positive that she made me feel like I was 10 feet tall.

In “Fixing My Gaze” you mention several vision therapy activities such as Marsden Ball, Brock String and  Vectograms. Is there one activity that was your favorite?

My favorite activity was the Brock string because it gave me the feedback to learn how to point my two eyes simultaneously at the same place in space. I could feel my eyes moving in concert and this was very exciting. The first time I saw stereo depth in the Polaroid vectograms – it was the clown vectogram – was also very special.

Now that you’ve had stereopsis for several years, do you find yourself at times taking it for granted as most people do?

No. My vision continues to improve and I have taken to walking everywhere just so I can feel myself moving through this three dimensional world. I am still surprised by what I can see. One advantage, I suppose, of not having stereovision for half a century is that I never take my vision for granted. I feel like I have been given a great gift.

You did such a marvelous job making the book accessible to many people from laypeople to doctors and scientists. Did you find that difficult to do, or did it come naturally?

I am a college biology professor and enjoy teaching, especially finding straightforward ways to explain complicated things. I learned this from my mother who was also a teacher. I also learned a great deal about vision from the many optometrists I spoke with.

Several people have commented on the readability of the book. What steps did you take to achieve this?

I made the decision about the font. I told the publisher that I wanted the book printed in Garamond font at the largest acceptable font size and spacing between letters, words, and lines. I was concerned that the people who might find the book interesting and beneficial are also the ones with difficulties tracking the letters on the page. The Harry
Potter books (which I loved) are printed in Garamond font, and one of the people I mention in my book had told me that he found Harry Potter easy to read because of the font and spacing. Also, my father, now 86, was a calligrapher and graphic designer and so I asked his advice about the fonts as well. He told me that the font should have some serifs (the little curley cues around the letters) as Sans Serif can be hard to read. However, the font should not be too complicated. We got out his old font books and looked over many different fonts and agreed that Garamond would work. I was very happy that the publisher honored my wishes here.

Thank you for writing “Fixing My Gaze.” My colleagues and I are very happy about it. Have you been surprised at its reception?

I never expected my book to be embraced so enthusiastically by so many people from people with binocular vision problems to scientists to optometrists.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you’d like add before we go?

I hope my book will teach people that the brain is capable of rewiring at any age, will broadcast the importance and effectiveness of optometric vision therapy, and will help many children as they progress through school.

I encourage all my readers to read “Fixing My Gaze.” You can get it at any bookstore or on Amazon.com. Alternatively, we have office copies that we are lending to patients. If you’d like to borrow a copy, just stop by Bright Eyes and ask for one.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care
Westchase, Tampa, FL
Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Foursquare

Update: Here are some links for more information:

Audio Podcast Interview with Susan Barry
http://www.perseuspodcasts.com/main/podcasts/book.php?
isbn=9780465009138

Print Q&A with Sue from the New Scientist, June 6, 2009
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227112.900-how-i-learned-to-
see-in-3d.html

Sue’s Psychology Today Blog, Eyes on the Brain
http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/eyes-the-brain

Los Angeles Times OpEd
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-barry22-
2009jun22,0,350826.story

I am a sucker for books. When it comes to bookstores, my eyes are bigger than my… free time. I will buy books that are fascinating that I have every intention of finishing, but I just don’t quite find the time.

One recent purchase is Seeing Through New Eyes: Changing the Lives of Children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome and other Developmental Disabilities through Vision Therapy by Optometrist Melvin Kaplan. I have read other clinical books by Dr. Kaplan and I deeply respect him and his career of helping patients with autism and related conditions.

I haven’t read the book yet, but I stumbled upon this review by a mother who is raising a son with autism (with whom I happen to share the first name “Nate”). I am certain that her review, written from the insider’s perspective, is much more compelling than mine would be, so I encourage you so check out what she has written.

Vision therapy is not the answer for every problem. But vision is so intricately bound to all parts of our lives that many, many people do find benefits from developmental vision care, sometimes in surprising ways.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I hate going to the doctor. From scheduling the appointment, to filling out paperwork, to waiting in the small exam room, to trying to get to know my doc in the 7.5 minutes that we spend together, to getting the bill, I dislike it all. (I’ll admit that I dislike it less than buying a car, but I really hate that.)

And I know that I am not alone. Let’s face it: The health care system in this country is complex. Between the different types of doctors and the variability of insurance and vision plans, finding good care can be difficult. To get the best care, you’ve got to be organized. You’ve got to pay attention. And you’ve got to stick up for yourself because, really, no one else is going to do it for you (except maybe your mom).

But this guide can set you off in the right direction. It is an insider’s view that is written by two doctors, Michal Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D., that present info in a light-hearted way that makes it easy to read. It has all kinds of useful references and places to start looking for information. And it can really help you feel confident about certain medical decision, such as second opinions.

I think that this is such a great book that I’m leaving my copy in the waiting area for people to read. You can click here to order your own copy of You, the Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment.

Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

News Channel 8 has also covered the story of Kelly Harmsen and the “The EyePatch Kids” DVD. The USF students that produced the video came to Bright Eyes to videotape me and some patients for a the story. It was fun to be involved and help promote awareness of amblyopia treatment.

You can see the news segment here. (Works best with Internet Explorer).
Be Well!

Dr. Bonilla-Warford
Bright Eyes Family Vision Care

TBO.com recently posted a story called “Patching Up a Problem.” It features the DVD ”The Eye Patch Kids” that aims to help children understand  eye patching therapy for amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye.” The story also has some video and pictures of the DVD and eye patching.

You can read the interview that that I did with Kelly Harmsen, the creator of the DVD here.