Oct. 5, 2007 — Cassandra Dunn, who works as a spokeswoman for the V.I. Water and Power Authority, was not discussing electric bills at the Rotary Club of St. Croix Thursday but instead gave a firsthand account of a vision problem affecting adults and children — in particular, her daughter.
Ocular motor dysfunction is the inability to perform accurate and effective eye movements. Her daughter, "J," from an early age had difficulty focusing and would read from the middle of the page.
"Homework became an ordeal, she hated reading because she just couldn't get it," Dunn said.
She and her husband took her to two different eye doctors. One prescribed glasses. The glasses didn't help and their daughter refused to wear them. There were no eye specialists they could turn to on St. Croix.
An uncle with a radio talk show in Georgia had as a guest a pediatric ophthalmologist, who was able to diagnose their daughter's problem. She began treatment right away with focusing exercises in the doctor's office and at home.
Some of the symptoms of ocular motor dysfunction are double vision, headaches when reading, eyes that appear to water or are bloodshot, frequent signs of frustration, holding material very close when reading and trouble adding columns of figures.
"J could not tell us as a child how words looked on a page," said Dunn, "She thought books just looked the way she saw them, she didn't know there was any difference."
Proudly, Dunn said J is now in college and doing very well.
"We don't want to lose any children to illiteracy because we as adults are shortsighted," concluded Dunn.
The Rotary Club of St. Croix will be bringing from Athens, Ga., eye specialist Dr. Meg Brya, who will conduct a clinic on St. Croix in January or February.
For more information, go to the Parents Active for Vision Education website.
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