Fixing My Gaze
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Fixing My Gaze
A revelatory account of the brain's capacity for change When neuroscientist Susan Barry was fifty years old, she experienced the sense of immersion in a three dimensional world for the first time. Skyscrapers on street corners appeared to loom out toward her like the bows of giant ships. Tree branches projected upward and outward, enclosing and commanding palpable volumes of space. Leaves created intricate mosaics in 3D. Barry had been cross-eyed and stereoblind since early infancy. After half a century of perceiving her surroundings as flat and compressed, on that day she saw the city of Manhattan in stereo depth for first time in her life. As a neuroscientist, she understood just how extraordinary this transformation was, not only for herself but for the scientific understanding of the human brain. Scientists have long believed that the brain is malleable only during a "critical period" in early childhood. According to this theory, Barry's brain had organized itself when she was a baby to avoid double vision - and there was no way to rewire it as an adult. But Barry found an optometrist who prescribed a little-known program of vision therapy; after intensive training, Barry was ultimately able to accomplish what other scientists and even she herself had once considered impossible. Dubbed "Stereo Sue" by renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks, Susan Barry tells her own remarkable journey and celebrates the joyous pleasure of our senses.
Coming to Our Senses
A neurobiologist reexamines the personal nature of perception in this groundbreaking guide to a new model for our senses. We think of perception as a passive, mechanical process, as if our eyes are cameras and our ears microphones. But as neurobiologist Susan R. Barry argues, perception is a deeply personal act. Our environments, our relationships, and our actions shape and reshape our senses throughout our lives. This idea is no more apparent than in the cases of people who gain senses as adults. Barry tells the stories of Liam McCoy, practically blind from birth, and Zohra Damji, born deaf, in the decade following surgeries that restored their senses. As Liam and Zohra learned entirely new ways of being, Barry discovered an entirely new model of the nature of perception. Coming to Our Senses is a celebration of human resilience and a powerful reminder that, before you can really understand other people, you must first recognize that their worlds are fundamentally different from your own.
Cross-eyed Optimist
Eye muscle surgery is the second most common operation after cataracts. In most cases it's unnecessary and ineffective-and can lead to a lifetime of trauma for children. Before considering eye surgery for yourself or your child, read this true story. After developing crossed eyes (strabismus) as an infant, Robert underwent two eye muscle operations by the age of five. He was left with two eyes that appeared straight but did not work together effectively. All his life, doctors told him he'd never see in 3D. Like the four percent of people who have a binocular vision disorder, he saw his world as "flat." Worse, he felt broken and learning disabled, enduring lifelong difficulties with reading, concentration, behavior, spatial awareness and more. Despite his vision challenges, he became a pilot, master boat builder, MBA recipient and life coach -- by first hiding his problem, then learning how to adapt to a world he couldn't see properly. At 70, he discovered vision therapy -- a non-invasive method of retraining the brain and harnessing the power of neuroplasticity to see in 3D. This is Robert's story of a lifelong struggle, and the joy of finally getting his eyes to work as a team. As an optimist, he never gave up, and now encourages others to consider vision therapy, a proven alternative to surgery.