Edi from Boston, MA
Since first grade I knew my eyes were “funky.” I went cross-eyed in a variety of settings – the theatre, watching a music performance, sometimes in a movie and once simply sitting in a small class with a teacher who made me nervous. I sometimes had double vision and often had headaches. I worked with behavioral optometrists in my twenties, and again in my thirties, but did not have success in overcoming my problems. Then when I was in my forties, I found Dr. Ruggiero and her team.
Dr. Ruggiero confirmed that my eyes were misaligned and that I had alternating monocular vision – that means I could see out of both eyes, but my brain could not fuse the images from both eyes into one. Dr. Ruggiero also confirmed this problem could be overcome with treatment, including various eye exercises.
My experience of healing came in two stages. The first stage was punctuated by an almost shocking transition from feeling like I was living inside a hand-held video camera to the experience of seeing through a professional movie camera. All of a sudden, objects were still; the world was steady. It was such a relief to be out of the jittery world in which I’d been living.
The second stage was even more profound – I gained depth perception! I can hardly do this transformation justice – it was like going from black and white to color. Complete visual rapture! And, it profoundly changed my experience of being in the world. Until that moment, I had been looking at life like one looks at a painting. All of a sudden, I was IN the scene. Objects in space were not only still, they reached out to touch me.
I believe this profound healing is due largely to the very particular support of Dr. Ruggiero and her team. Unlike the previous doctors who had given me the standard set of exercises which ended up making me feel either nauseous or incapable, Dr. Ruggiero offered exercises that were completely customized to my exact needs. They were surprisingly gentle and easy to do. Also, the therapists in the office knew they were helping me through a major life transformation and provided ample emotional support and encouragement. Finally, Dr. Ruggiero’s certainty of the possibility for healing was vital in my ability to achieve it.
I continue to revel and delight in my newfound visual experience. And, I continue to do my eye exercises. The small investment of time and energy is more than worth the gifts. I am so deeply grateful to Dr. Ruggiero and her team and know that my life is forever enhanced by the work we did together. If you could see into my heart, you would see me bowing deep with gratitude or jumping for joy.
Edi
Boston, MA