Susanna Zaraysky - One-Eyed Princess: Gaining Depth in Sight and Mind

GAINING DEPTH IN SIGHT AND MIND

One-Eyed Princess

Gaining depth in sight and mind

Copyright 2016 by Susanna Zaraysky

First Edition

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used orreproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission fromthe publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in articles orreviews.

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ISBN: 0-9820189-1-6

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Cover Illustration by Valerij Zhelyazkov

Edited by Rachel Banderob and Jonnie Pekelny

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Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Dora Maar

Pablo Picasso, Three Figures Under a Tree

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Hallucinogenic Toreador

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Music lyrics:

Count to Ten

Lyrics and music by Tina Dico

Copyright 2007

Permission to reprint the lyrics granted by TinaDico

Debo partirme en dos

Lyrics and music by Silvio Rodrguez

Copyright 1975

The Stranger

Words and Music by Billy Joel

Copyright 1977 IMPULSIVE MUSIC

Copyright Renewed

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All Rights Reserved Used by Permission

Reprinted by Permission of Hal LeonardCorporation

The River Of Dreams

Words and Music by Billy Joel

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DEDICATIONS

Since reading about Professor Sue Barrysacquisition of 3D vision in the article Stereo Sue by Dr. OliverSacks in June 2006 in The New Yorker magazine, my life hasnot been the same. This book is dedicated to both Professor Barryand Dr. Sacks.

- Professor Sue Barry, Professor of Neuroscience atMt. Holyoke College

I have recommended Barrys book, Fixing MyGaze, to many people, including to my former ophthalmologist.Sue Barry had the courage to speak up about her changing vision,even though it went against what she had learned in her studies ofneuroscience.

Dr. Barry has been a major personal andscientific support for me even before I embarked on this journey tochange my brain. We have communicated by postal mail, phone and inperson. She even came to my presentation at Google in MountainView, California about endangered language preservation! Withouther, I dont know how I would have undertaken this endeavor. I havecommunicated with many other amblyopes whose lives have beenforever changed since Sue Barry shared her journey. Hopefully, mystory can do the same.

- Dr. Oliver Sacks, Doctor of Neurology

It was my goal for Dr. Sacks to see thisdedication to him before his death in August 2015. (I did write tohim and his assistant in February 2015 to let them know I waswriting this book and that it would be dedicated to Dr. Sacks.)

When I found out about his death, I fell into asorrow I had never felt for someone I had never met. If it weren'tfor Dr. Sacks' work, I would not be the person I am today. I can'tthink of anyone else whom I have never met who has had such a deepimpact on my life. As I learned about the power of music on thebrain in Dr. Sacks' book, Musicophilia, and realized that Ilearned languages like songs, I wrote the book, Language isMusic to help others learn foreign languages in a fun way withmusic and the media. Language is Music, was also dedicatedto Dr. Sacks.

Doctors have a direct impact on our lives bylistening to our descriptions of our ailments and by treating uswith herbs, medicines, therapies, medical devices or by operatingon us with surgical implements. It is rare, I believe, to be apatient via words alone. I felt like I was his patient through hisarticles, books, television interviews, and the moviesAwakenings and The Music Never Stopped, borne out ofhis writings.

After reading The New Yorker articleStereo Sue, I sent Dr. Oliver Sacks a letter via postal mail. (Atthe time, he didnt receive emails.) When I received a personalresponse typed by him, with corrections made by hand, I was deeplymoved that hed taken the time to write back to me and even call meby the moniker I had made for myself, the One-Eyed Princess. Heforwarded my email address to Professor Sue Barry, who wrote to meby email and gave suggestions about vision therapy.

May the legacy of Dr. Sacks touch the lives ofmany more around the world!

Thanks to you both for your support and forrevealing how incredibly the brain can change!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are many people who were key in supportingme in my vision therapy journey and in writing this book.

Jessica Argullo did not let me cave into mydoubts about publishing this book and revealing the difficulties Iexperienced as I worked to change my brain. She pressed me to gobeyond my fears.

My family was of major support for myjourney.

Alexander and Natalie Lara are my nephew andniece, my assistants (a.k.a. butt kickers) and my vision therapyplay buddies. Thank you for providing the fun, laughter and kicksin the butt to do my vision therapy homework.

My parents, Isak and Rimma Zaraysky, and sisterAsya Zaraysky, for listening to my trials and tribulations in thisprocess.

My strabismic aunts, Sveta Kanevsky and LiliaZaraysky, both understood the difficulties I was experiencing andshared their own stories with me. Sveta read several drafts of thisbook and suggested changes.

Fellow amblyope, Csar Vasconcelos lent asympathetic ear and told me of his vision therapy stories. Heinspired me with his post-vision therapy tennis prowess.

Dr. Pia Hoenig of the University of Californiaat Berkeley (UC Berkeley) University Eye Center for carefullylistening to my issues as I spoke through my tears and givingadvice on how to proceed with vision therapy.

Suzanne Bregman for reading the first, secondand third drafts of this book and giving me detailed comments andsuggestions on how to improve it and for providing me support andcomedic distractions in the lab.

My friend, Sarah, was the first and only personto encourage me to do vision therapy. She has been a constantsource of support and encouragement.

Elisa Gollub and Scott Neft housed me in theirhome on many occasions as I went to appointments at UC Berkeley.Elisa also reviewed a draft of this book, giving me helpfulfeedback on needed changes.

Seema Bhangar and Jim Downing let me stay withthem and be entertained by their son, Rohan, on my many trips toBerkeley.

Emanuele Ziglioli, Maren Amdal and Vivian Chongcommented on the first rough draft of the book.

Elizabeth Mulford provided me with a sanctuaryof solitary splendor where I could write and edit. She also editedthe last draft of the book with zeal!

Paulina Novo hosted me on her couch on thatfateful trip to Washington DC, where I first learned about seeingin 3D.

Dilip Menon chaperoned me to my vision therapyevaluation on my birthday!

The UC Berkeley Levi lab, where I have beendoing computer-based exercises since March 2014, has been a richenvironment for me to work on my depth perception and meet fellowamblyopes. Thank you to Dr. Roger Li for accepting me into hisstudy,