Sue Barry’s TEDx Talk

The logo of TED talks speaks for itself:  ideas worth spreading.  The story of Stereo Sue is becoming increasingly well known within optometric circles, but the TED format will help spread the concept further.  Encourage as many people as you can to watch it, so that its number of views increases.  Here is the direct link to the YouTube video.

The web intro reads as follows:

Susan R. Barry, Professor of Biological Sciences at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts talks about “Fixing My Gaze.”
“For most of my life, the last place I wanted to be was an eye doctor’s office. I had been cross-eyed since infancy, and despite three surgeries, remained cross-eyed and stereoblind. Scientific dogma indicated that my visual deficits resulted from changes in brain circuitry that occurred in infancy and could not be reversed in adulthood. So, when I finally consulted a developmental optometrist and began optometric vision therapy at age 48, I took a significant risk. I had to think beyond the conventional wisdom, abandon old visual habits, and master skills that most children acquire within the first six months of life. As I began to straighten my eyes and see in 3D, I learned that the adult brain is indeed capable of significant plasticity. Rewiring in the adult brain requires the presence of novel and behaviorally relevant stimuli, the conscious abandonment of entrenched habits, and the establishment, through intense practice, of new ones.”

Although I’ve heard Sue lecture a number of times, and admire her passion, it wasn’t until I read this that it dawned on me just how courageous Sue is.  Read it again: “So, when I finally consulted a developmental optometrist and began optometric vision therapy at age 48, I took a significant risk. I had to think beyond the conventional wisdom, abandon old visual habits, and master skills that most children acquire within the first six months of life.“

Without further adieu, here is Sue:

- Leonard J. Press, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO