亚历克的故事 // 12岁，美国印第安纳
WHAT ALEX’S MOTHER SAYS:
亚历克母亲的讲述：
Alex was born with a vision impairment that I can't even begin to understand. My eye have always done their job, and I don't know what it is like to have trouble seeing. Alex started wearing glasses at age three after we found out she had amblyopia. She had a very strong prescription in her right eye, but her left eye didn't need any correction at all. We started using atropine drops for a few months with some breaks in between before she started kindergarten.
亚历克出生后，就有视力问题，我不明白为什么会这样。我自己眼睛一直挺好，不知道视觉障碍是什么感受。因为亚历克患有弱视，所以三岁就开始戴眼镜，她右眼度数很高，但左眼正常。上幼儿园前，我们用了几个月的阿托品，中间暂停过几次。上幼儿园后，开始佩戴隐形眼镜，她一直都戴着框架眼镜或隐形眼镜。
She started wearing contact lenses in kindergarten and would either wear glasses or contact lenses all the time. Instead of using atropine drops, we started patching her good eye for a few hours every day through some of her primary school years. Alex didn't do very well with the patching, and it is seemed to make her early school years even more challenging. My mom made a special patch to go over the lens of her glasses, but then we could see she was looking under or over the lens in order to see. Her brain just didn't want to use that weak eye.
上小学时，我们停用了阿托品，开始每天遮盖好眼几个小时。亚历克不愿意配合遮盖，遮盖给她的学校生活，带来很大不便。我母亲在她镜片上，做了一个特别的眼罩，但亚历克还是会偷偷从边框往外看。她的大脑根本不想使用那只弱视眼。
Even with the patching Alex’s good eye and using contact lenses or glasses, she still couldn't see as well with her right eye. Then, when Alex was in fifth grade, our family optometrist referred us to another optometrist who specialized in vision therapy. Alex’s optometrist spoke highly of “Dr. Eric” and the work he was doing with children like Alex. With these praises from Alex’s optometrist, along with the idea of helping Alex see better, we jumped at the chance to try something new. Even knowing that our insurance most likely would not cover this cost, we felt vision therapy was still the best option for Alex.
尽管遮盖好眼，使用隐形眼镜或框架眼镜，但亚历克的弱视一直没有改善。五年级时，我们的社区医生，推荐了一位专门从事视觉训练的眼视光医生。社区医生高度评价艾瑞克医生，说他成功治疗过很多像亚历克这样的孩子。听到这些赞扬，我们很快就去看了艾瑞克医生，虽然我们知道，保险很可能不会支付这些费用，但我们仍然觉得，视觉训练是亚历克最好的选择。
Vision therapy has helped my daughter significantly with her vision, and it also helped me to understand how her brain uses, or doesn't use, her eyes. Alex wasn't always the best vision therapy patient, but she made it through the 36 weeks of treatment. On the way home from her last appointment, I asked her “Did you get anything out of all these vision therapy sessions?” “Can you tell a difference in your vision?” Her response came quickly and it was, “Yes, I can tell a big difference in how I see.” That made every single trip to therapy, plus the extra expense, all worth it. I’m so thankful for all that she and I have learned on this journey.
视觉训练对女儿帮助很大，同时也让我理解了，大脑如何使用双眼。亚历克不是视觉训练最理想的患者，但她还是努力完成了36周的治疗。她最后一次训练结束时，在回家的路上，我问她：“这么多次训练，你有没有什么收获？你觉得视力有什么变化吗？”她很快对我说：“有啊，变化可大了。”这让我觉得，每一次训练，花费在路上的时间，以及额外的费用，都是值得的。我为我们在这次经历中，所学到的一切感到高兴。
WHAT ALEX SAYS:
亚历克的讲述：
After vision therapy I can now see the little diamond crystals in the snow. Before, all I saw was white fluff. That’s the best way I can put the success into words. I think vision therapy will really help me when I start driving and for my job. I didn't like vision therapy, but I am glad I put in the effort to help my eyes work together better. I am glad I did vision therapy when I did, rather than doing it when I am older or not doing it at all.
经过视觉训练，我现在可以看到，雪中像小钻石一样的颗粒。以前，我看到的雪，只是毛绒绒的一片，这是我能描述的最好方式了。我认为，将来开车或工作时，视觉训练对我的帮助会更大。我不太喜欢视觉训练，但我很高兴，我努力训练了，现在双眼可以很好地工作。我很庆幸，我已经做了视觉训练，而不是等到我长大了才做。
（文章摘自: CROSSED & LAZY EYES MYTHS,MISCONCEPTIONS AND TRUTHS）