Sunflower Vision Development Center

09/18/2026

"'...it’s probably important to let you know that adult neuroplasticity isn’t just for birds. It turns out that neuroscientists have been performing similar experiments with humans for more than a hundred years.' The results of these experiments all point toward several important conclusions about neuroplascitity:

▪️We want our brains to be optimized for our environment

▪️A rich environment is required to reveal the full capacity for adjustment

▪️There is no upper age limit for neuroplasticity, though it occurs more readily at younger ages

▪️Neuroplasticity resulting in adaptive change is enhanced by social and emotional engagement primed by motivation"

On off days I love immersing myself in books. Particularly when I can browse new ones in a quiet little chair in the corner of a local independent bookstore. This morning afforded that opportunity …

08/28/2026

💯‼️ Shared by one of Dr. Fisher's vision therapist colleagues.

08/08/2026

"Any perspective piece that is written by Drs. Ciuffreda, Tannen and Rutner is thought-provoking, and the one in this issue does not disappoint. What stands out as well is the international flavor of clinical research in this issue, representing groups in Greece, Spain, and Canada. The entities addressed in the research papers are AS (Autism Spectrum), primitive reflexes, and mTBI.

Beyond the research, I’d like to call your attention to the fifty-five page Topical Review on Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) by Dr. Tamara Petrosyan. It is a magnum opus on this complex entity that should be widely read, shared and cited."

https://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2026/06/29/summer-quarterly-issue-of-vdr-is-special/

07/14/2026

"Researchers know that children who engage in longer conversations more frequently have an easier time learning to read. Questions that add information to an emerging constellation of knowledge help children develop the capacity to think about knowledge other than just use it."

"The single most important thing children can get out of education is the inclination and facility to build their own ideas, and to explore and consider the ones other people put forth. Yet a deliberate focus on ideas is singularly absent from most classrooms. It’s also completely missing from educational policy. The ability to pursue ideas is not inevitable."

https://gwilliamsfamilyeye.wordpress.com/

06/22/2026

"For a period of twelve years, from March 2013 through February 2025, Elsevier supported a collaborative online venture between optometry and ophthalmology that was unique in the eye care field. Our purpose in this essay is to reflect on that initiative, shedding light on how it came to pass, as well as suggesting how it might serve as a model for future collaborative ventures."

https://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2026/06/21/a-unique-ophthalmology-optometry-collaborative/

06/13/2026

"Thanks to our colleague, Dr. Gary Etting who brought a story to my attention that I vaguely recall hearing about before. It features Herbert Wertheim, O.D. who began attending the Southern College of Optometry on scholarship in 1963. It’s safe to say that it wasn’t an academic scholarship, as Dr. Wertheim struggled as a dropout before finding himself in the Navy. He was featured in a 2014 article in 20/20 magazine titled The Art of Science."

Thanks to our colleague, Dr. Gary Etting who brought a story to my attention that I vaguely recall hearing about before. It features Herbert Wertheim, O.D. who began attending the Southern College …

05/28/2026

"Thanks to our colleague, Dr. Curt Baxstrom, for sharing this link on VTODs on Facebook to an article that he co-authored with Dr. Jason Clopton on Vestibular and Visual Motion Processing in Infantile Esotropia.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Advances in Ophthalmology and Optometry, it is the only publication of its kind that is jointly done between the two professions. This is the 10th annual volume, and each volume contains many unique and cutting edge chapters."

Thanks to our colleague, Dr. Curt Baxstrom, for sharing this link on VTODs on Facebook to an article that he co-authored with Dr. Jason Clopton on Vestibular and Visual Motion Processing in Infanti…

05/15/2026

"There are many types of visual difficulty that may result in symptoms of discomfort and visual disturbance and which may have an adverse effect on the ability to read, study and learn."

https://visionhelp.wordpress.com/2026/05/09/specific-learning-difficulties-spldsand-visual-difficulties/

05/02/2026

Courtesy of Dr. Doug Stephey:

Optic nerve, that is. Thanks to Dr. Doug Stephey for sharing the following graphic:

04/14/2026

"I’m almost embarrassed to admit that this slim volume of less than 200 pages has been on my reading list since it was first published in 2016 by The MIT Press, and I just got around to reading it now. It is co-authored by two brothers, one of whom is a vision scientist and the other a practicing ophthalmologist. Here are some snippets of what the Dowling brothers write in a section on amblyopia (page 132-3):

'To conclude, most agree that after the age of 8 or so, amblyopia does not develop following visual deprivation, but relief from aspects of ambloypia can be achieved, at least partially for many years thereafter by intense training of the amblyopic eye … In Oliver Sacks’s book, The Mind’s Eye is the story of a woman, Sue Barry, who as a had a crossed eye that was surgically straightened … As a result of visual exercises she regained some binocular vision and depth perception in her late 40s. It required intense work … Clearly the young brain is more modifiable than is the older brain, and the notion of a critical periods reflects a period of exceptional modifiability. But critical periods are not absolute – modification of brain structure and circuitry is possible throughout life.'"

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that this slim volume of less than 200 pages has been on my reading list since it was first published in 2016 by The MIT Press, and I just got around to readin…