V I E W S

E-zine excerpts by Sharon Hicks

 

My visual memories August 2006

I have been visually oriented since very young. I have memories of visiting the Chicago Art Institute with my father regularly on weekends. At less than three years old, I was able to stand in front of a painting for what seemed like an eternity, looking at the vision expressed there. I did not know at that time that art would become a major part of my life.

Also at that very young age, I remember lying in bed and looking at a small window located at the opposite side of the room. Closing the left eye, I noticed that the window moved to the left. Closing the right eye, I noticed that the window moved to the right. Sometimes I looked with both eyes and the window split into two. As I watched--the two images came together; they split apart and came together. I did not know at that time that I was learning and practicing the skill of eye teaming. Nor did I know that I would teach the skill of eye teaming in my later life as a vision educator.

What is eye teaming? September 2006

• Eye teaming is the ability to point both eyes at the same place at the same time.
  
  
• It is the ability to receive sensory input through each eye simultaneously and to fuse two images together, in the brain, to make one image.
  
  
• Eye teaming is a learned skill which not only requires integration of both eyes but also integration of both sides of the brain.
  
  
• Eye teaming which engages both central and peripheral vision is necessary for perception of three dimensional space.
  
  
• Another name for eye teaming and the ability to see space is binocular vision.
  
  
  Some eye teaming adaptations August 2006
  
  
• Alternating eyes (looking with one eye and then the other). This involves suppressing the input from one eye when looking with the other.
  
  
• Amblyopia (also called lazy eye). This involves relying so heavily on one eye that the other eye, through disuse, looses it's clarity.
  
  
• Crossed eyes (constant or intermittent). When an eye turns in, it is actually looking inward. It does not look out into space; it hides or it locates things closer than they really are. These habits are directed by the mind and brain. (Eye turns are not usually due to the strength or length of eye muscles.) People with crossed eyes typically experience a very limited binocular range and a very limited depth of space, if any at all.
  
  
• Often the habits of alternating eyes or preferring one eye come along with crossed eyes.
  
  
• Our eye teaming adaptations both affect and reflect how we see ourselves and our world, how we handle situations, and how we process information. If you suspect that you, your child or someone your know has difficulty with eye teaming, call for a complimentary phone consultation.

What is experiential feedback? October 2006

Feedback is a response that occurs during experiential practices which are specifically designed to bring unconsious habit patterns into consciousness. Participants gain awareness of their eye-brain-body behavior adaptations and then consciously are able to adjust their response creating new patterns. Patterns which are involuntary and directed by the autonomic nervous system often can become evident during the process. Sometimes feedback comes as an emotional response and other times as a deep awareness. Discovery of one's patterns, adaptations and stress responses allow participants to develop better ways of functioning on mental, physical and emotional levels.

Seeing it Another Way July 2006

Seeing it another way is to allow and to expand. One must be willing to be with the unfamiliar. Seeing it another way could be seeing it another's way, or seeing in a new way. Letting go of a belief or a thought is seeing it another way. Seeing it another way is growth. Seeing it another way is creativity. Seeing it another way is learning. One must be open; one must be present; one must be responsive, rather than reactive--to see it another way.

While eighty per cent of learning enters through our eyes, ninety per cent of vision occurs in our mind and brain. Seeing it another way could be changing your mind; it could be retraining your brain.

How does this happen? It is a process of knowing yourself yet exploring new territory--through your eyes--like an artist or a scientist. It is a process of discovery.

What is Attention Training? October 2006

• Attention training is a process oriented learning experience which engages the mind and brain through the visual and auditory systems, and through integrated body movement.
  

• Participants begin by following simple directions which require looking, listening, processing, speaking and moving all to the beat of a metronome.
  

• The directions gradually require greater attention and memory as they become more complex according to the participant's ability. This practice enables participants to develop greater attention and memory skills. In addition: coordination, left/right awareness, sensory motor integration and stress point levels are all increased.
  
  
• This type of training was originally developed by behavioral optometrists and has been successfully utilized in vision therapy and other developmental training programs for many years.
  
  
• People who can benefit from attention training include adults and children with vision deficiencies, attention deficits, sensory/motor deficits, learning difficulties, poor coordination, dyslexia, or slow processing skills.

Who was Dr. Bates? July 2006

William Bates was an ophthalmologist who, in the 1920s, discovered that when he prescribed eye glasses his patients' vision got worse. He dedicated his life to developing a program of practices for natural vision improvement.

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