Dr. Jonathan Wareham, June 9, 2014
Posted by Alan Kelly
on Jun 12, 2014
Dr. Jon Wareham was introduced by Tracy Bray. Dr. Warham is a local optometrist with a masters degree in neuroscience who specializes in vision development and rehabilitation.
He spoke of how the vision of our ancestors had evolved to see well in the distance so they could scan the plains for food or danger. Modern day people are focusing more closely, for hours, on televisions, computers and mobile phones, which is not what our eyes are optimized for. Sometimes our eyes can't converge properly. Eye coordination is the ability of the eyes to work together as a team. Symptoms of poor eye coordination are physical discomfort and words appear to move on a page.
Dr. Jon gave a touching example of a grade 3 girl who was falling behind in her homework because the words kept moving. With therapy she learned how to use her eyes and now homework is easier because she can read with ease. Only 14% of children get their vision checked. Also, people who have had head injuries can suffer from vision problems. Corrections for these types of injuries take some work but can be done. Dr. Richard Tie thanked Dr. Wareham.