VT Works

During his Moon Speech at Rice University in 1962, President John F. Kennedy noted “the greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds”; an observation which has withstood the tests of time. I don’t believe ole’ JFK knew anything about Vision Therapy, but how many times have you, or someone in your office thought “the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know”. The more we learn, the more we realize we have to learn; a thought which in and of itself, embodies great wisdom. Mr. Kennedy was certainly on to something.

There will come a day when we can laugh again. A day when we can find humor in forgetting to have a patient wear polaroid filters while viewing a vectogram, or when a co-worker catches an errant beanbag with their backside, or even chuckle at the oxymoronic nature of advising our patients to limit screentime; right before placing them in front of a desktop which runs the latest technological advancement in vision therapy. That day will come, and we can laugh at ourselves as loud as we like, like only Vision Therapy folks do.

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion and chaos, followed by the calm of consistent therapy sessions and bowls of ice cream on the couch. I mentioned to my doctor via text message just now that it’s tough to feel like I’m getting enough done, and yet when asked what I’ve been doing, it’s pretty challenging to pinpoint. I’ve been surviving, just like everyone else. Finding new and creative ways to drag systems built upon deliberate and thoughtful face-to-face interactions into a world that demands high-speed bandwidth, increased screen time, and perhaps an impersonal impersonation of face-to-face interaction through platforms like Zoom and Skype. Some activities will take a backseat, for now, some will move to the forefront, and some still will morph into a rendition of their former selves viewed through a shared computer screen. We have to adapt, adjust, and overcome. Like it or not, we just do. Many of us have been relegated back to a novice level, once again, and the current climb might feel steep and painful. But we will get there, no doubt.

There’s humor to be found, too, if you look hard enough. During a virtual therapy session this week, one of my more inquisitive seven-year-old patients asked me if I was wearing pants, to which I slowly replied, “yeeeees, jeans”. I’m not sure if his subsequent laughter was more a result of his bravery in asking the question or in the fact that he was given an answer; but he wasted ten minutes in hysterics, nonetheless. Apparently, visual closure is a necessary skill set. And then there were the times I jammed my index finger into my laptop screen trying to move a Brock String bead or to adjust a patient’s patch. Some habits die hard, I guess. I’ve also met several cats and dogs this week. One of those cats decided to attack the iPad as I started talking, apparently thinking I was an intruder. If only I had pushed record.

How about some inspiration? As our virtual therapy program evolves, our therapists are working with patients who might normally be assigned to other therapists but landed on a different schedule due to availability. For this reason, I connected with a 12-year-old girl today whom I have never worked with. Below is an excerpt from an email I shared with her mother afterward:

We have never met face to face (her normal appointment with Jessica is on Thursdays – I work in a different location on Thursdays) but she completely opened up to me today and demonstrated wisdom and maturity well beyond her years. Part of my approach with kids is to “check-in” on their state of mind and happiness – especially given what’s going on in the world right now – and in doing this, asked [your daughter] where she sees herself when she turns 25 or 30; the hope is she will continue to look ahead rather than perseverating on current circumstances. [Your daughter] shared an incredible passion for music as a means for expressing herself, a strong desire to become a sturdy pillar in her family for the benefit of her parents, brother, and cousins, and finally, she just showed an amazing awareness for what is and is not important in terms of her life and the lives of those around her.  We discussed her struggles, headaches, and sensitivities to sounds etc., and how that is hindering her. as well as how she hopes Vision Therapy can help, and yet she demonstrated great strength in explaining her ability to overcome and achieve despite it all. I have to be honest, I was completely blown away by the entire conversation. She totally made my day. 

If you would have asked me a year ago if Vision Therapy needed to catch up to the 21st Century and find new ways to utilize technology to reach people, my guess is the conversation would have started and ended with one simple question:

Why not?

Today, my answer is a bit different. The dynamic is different, the communication is different, the enforcement is different, and the therapy is different. I’m not saying it’s better or worse; just different.

Could virtual VT be a long term adjunct solution as a means to grow a practice and expand services once things return to normal? Could we have propelled ourselves into the new norm of how Vision Therapy is delivered? Will most of us revert back to in-office therapy and true face-to-face interactions when things return to normal? Will we decide to find a balance between the meta personal and virtual worlds? Is there a space between the old and the new where Vision Therapy can exist without feeling devalued?

Well, in the words of our late president: “the greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds”

No matter where you land in all of this, though, my hope is we can all take a moment to laugh a bit. The world so desperately needs it right now. Laugh at your blunders, laugh with your family, laugh at me for almost breaking my index finger with a laptop screen. When this is all over and we can get back to work, laugh even more.

Just please remember to wear pants.

Stay well, friends!