Gaining Perspective Through Vision Therapy
Part 8 of a series. Click here to start at the beginning or here to go to the previous post.
At the end of 2016, a friend recommended I look into vision therapy. I have no depth perception because I was born with a lazy eye. I had believed the conventional wisdom which said that if I didn’t learn to use my eyes together by the time I was 3 or 4 years old, I never would. Well I can now kiss that wisdom good-bye!
Week 11
My therapy this week consisted of sitting in front of a blue light for 20 minutes each day. This kind of light therapy, it turns out, can help with many ailments including eyes that don’t track together. Last week I had to work my way up to 20 minutes because my brain just couldn’t take it. Then one night I imagined seeing in 3D. That was new!
Today my therapist, Barry, checked my peripheral vision and then I sat in front of the light. Afterwards, he had me put on 3D glasses as he put an image on the screen to see if I could see depth.
As you may recall, I’ve only seen in 3D one time in my life. It was the day I was tested by Minnesota Vision Therapy Center. It’s not an exaggeration to tell you the fly’s wings I saw coming right at me were one of the most spectacular things I had ever seen in my life.
3D
Today was the second time to be completely amazed! I saw 3D again except it was much more clear and amazing than the first time! I got tearful and was overwhelmed. It looked like a magic trick. I had so many questions. How will I be able to handle seeing the world like this all the time? Will I walk around with an enormous smile on my face shocked by this new view of everything I see? I couldn’t stop crying and asking questions and blubbering on and on.
There aren’t words to describe how this felt. It was like finding out I had 6 million dollars in a bank account that I didn’t know existed. It had always been there, I just couldn’t access it.
What?!? Are you kidding?!? 6 million?!? Well of course I’ll come over to collect the cash!
But it’s not quite as easy as stopping by the teller and walking away with a bag full of money. I’ll have to continue with my therapy in the hopes that the whole world will someday take on this amazing third dimension. I need to be patient. Barry says ‘less is more’ as he prescribes my at-home therapy.
What's Next?
My mind and heart are swirling with the possibilities of how my life will be different when I see everything in three dimensions.
When I took off the 3D glasses and saw my world in 2D again, I must admit it was comforting. I had to sit down. This is how I understand the world. That is as disorienting as walking in a fun house but as sensational as the Grand Canyon.
It definitely feels like I have 6 million dollars in the bank waiting for me at the end of this journey.
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