1. Prepared for MAER 04/25/13

2.  Spatial perception is understanding the space we need to move through or manipulate objects within  Vision is the deriving of meaning and direction of action as triggered by light

3.  So what if you can’t see? OR Can’t see like you used to?  Understanding Visual attention may be helpful!

4.  Sight  Vision  We can have vision without eyesight As many in attendance can attest Mobility work depends on spatial processing in the brain not the eyes Thinking in pictures (Visual thinking)  Sight loss (eyeball and eyeball wiring hardware) is rarely total

5.  Development Most are born seeing, but don’t understand what we see (vision) Vision is learned Learned by bumping into reality with our sensory systems Vision is hands extended Amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (wandering eye), and learning related vision problems are a lack of development

6.  Congenital and acquired (had and lost)  Loss of eyesight is not the loss of vision  BUT vision without eyesight is not the same  “Not the same” is the key issue  Change is never easy for anyone at almost any time  What has changed with the loss of eyesight (hardware) is how you use eyesight as a part of the visual process

7.  Even with full visual capacity you cannot attend to everything all the time!  Even true for hearing, smelling and feeling (shoes?)  Selective attention is an important concept  Changes to visual attention and how we use visual spatial processing is what is happening

8.  A visual cure is making vision function like it used to  Many losses of eyesight have no cure, but vision is still present  It is not bad or unusual to look/hope for cures  It is not always realistic to expect cures for many loss of sight conditions in the immediate future

9.  Hope to improve function with rehabilitation is more realistic  Getting used to changing the way you use vision is the key Silverware drawer example Practice over time Effort/habituation/ease of use Decreasing effort is the way to reduce eye strain (asthenopia)

10.  Trying to use old software for changed (new) hardware is stressful and tiring  Learning to use what is left (pieces of eyesight, visual memory and spatial vision) with the least amount of effort is very important  Part of MAER’s mission

11.  Purpose of Vision quotes

12.  Where am I?  Where is it?  What is it?  Communication (Language)  Plus How Motor Planning Visual Thinking  Importance of Anticipation By the time the brain gets visual information it is history

13.  Sue Barry One cannot pretend to have binocularity by closing an eye RAH: One cannot pretend to have altered eyesight by closing your eyes Once you have vision it is always with you!  Maybe not eyesight  Maybe not all of vision either  Work/learn to use what you have,  Work/learn to develop/work around what is missing

14.  Two approaches: Limiting visual loss due to misuse or nonuse is important  Ex. peripheral vision  Circling the wagons  Self limitation  Lots of research on visual field restoration Learning to re-write software  There is no substitute for hardware loss in any sensory system  There is a lot of brain plasticity research out there!

15.  Look Hard Look Soft procedure Ease eyestrain  Visual imagery/memory practice What you remember things to look like Visual closure-filling in the missing pieces (anticipating?)  If you think you can or you think you can’t you are probably right! H Ford  Hope and faith are important  Acceptance of loss and getting support MAER Support groups

16.  Eyesight loss can cause one to feel unlucky, frustrated, anxious and/or depressed  There are no cures out there for many eyesight conditions  There may be rehabilitation treatments

17.  You can do something!  It is your choice  It is your software and attention  You are in charge of how you choose to use them  Thank you for your attention today