My Story

I often share my story with my patients and I think it is time I share it with you.

At the age of eight I was in the second grade (yes I repeated kindergarten so I was older than I should have been), and while I knew my letters and could read short words I really hated to read.  My handwriting was awful and my spelling was terrible (some things never change).  I was in a special class at school to help me with reading and writing and was classified as learning disabled (technically I still am).  Instead of reading I would memorize books, and in class I memorized every word my teacher said.   In first grade I did adequately but by second grade I started to fall behind in school because I was now expected to learn by reading.

My mother was an elementary teacher and thought that vision might have something to do with it.  I was taken to the office in which I currently practice and saw my current boss, Dr. Robin Rinearson.  She basically said, “Yup, he can’t see, so he can’t read”.  I had (and still have) an eye alignment problem, in my case they turn out.  When I want to look across a room I could get them to line up so sports were fine.  But turning them all the way in to read was too difficult.  I saw double, got eyestrain and even some mild headaches.

Generally I refused to sit long enough to get a headache.

Robin put me in glasses which helped settle my focusing system down and supplemented this prescription with prism.  Between the two I was able to read.  I quickly improved and reading became much easier.  I found I loved to read.  School became much easier, and while I still struggle with grammar, spelling, and writing in general (this blog being case in point) vision is no longer part of the problem.

I am still in prism to this day and it makes my life easier.  I find I can read significantly faster for longer periods of time and I get less headaches and eyestrain.

I hope it can help you equally

“Dodge”

William Dodge Perry, OD