From around the age of four, I had this bad “habit” of walking straight into things… from signs, to rails, doors, walls, mailboxes, furniture.. anything within reach. I distinctly remember my dad constantly telling me to take things slower, not to run and hurt myself, little did I know that it wasn’t me.. it was my eyes! Within that year I had been diagnosed with my vision problems, including but not limited to my lazy left eye. I spent most of preschool looking like a clumsy little pirate, with my butterfly eye patches, training my left eye to work properly. Every few months my mom and I took the long drive to Seattle for my eye appointments, which was great for me because I didn’t mind missing school! School work was always so difficult, the things I liked to do, reading specifically, were actually the hardest. Up until now, words would move and blur, it would give me headaches, I couldn’t differentiate line from line, which made reading in front of the class a miserable task. I’d close one eye while doing close work, and would struggle to get things finished. Now, with all the exercises I have better understanding of how my eyes work, I don’t have to worry about these things. Vision therapy was exactly what I needed in my life to give me the tools I needed for everyday life. I was very fortunate to have such a great therapist, she made coming to therapy fun and exciting. I did my exercises so I wouldn’t let her down, (and maybe a little bit for the tickets), but boy did it pay off.

Graduation day, here I come! – Victoria Rifa