Overlooking our vision | Cameron McCrodan | TEDxVictoria

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Sight is something many of us take for granted, but as Cameron McCrodan shows, there are many aspects of sight that are simply overlooked - and they can have a massive impact on our quality of life.

Cameron McCrodan is the founder of McCrodan Vision Development, a vision therapy, vision development, and behavioural optometry clinic in Victoria, BC.


TEDxVictoria takes place each year in Victoria, BC, Canada, and is Vancouver Island's largest TEDx event. This year marked the fourth year of the event, which saw more than 700 people gather at the century-old McPherson Playhouse for a full day of Ideas Worth Spreading based around the theme of Pursuit of Knowledge.


About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[enfieldjohn]

Vision problems can indeed massively impact one's quality of life. I can speak on that from experience. When I was a baby, I never crossed my eyes when trying to look at my own nose. Not because I wasn't interested in my nose, but because it turned out that I was physically unable to control my eye muscles well enough to do so. I still can't cross my eyes, even after decades of doing eye exercises.

Thanks to an optometrist like Cameron who was interested in vision development, I finally got help for my vision challenges when I was five years old. Noticing real improvement took three years of hard work every day doing the eye exercises that he prescribed for me and returning to his office to try different glasses to correct my nearsightedness and to check my progress in the physical therapy. Yes, it was physical for my eyes. We usually think of PT for injured arms or legs or things like that, but part of what I needed (and what far more people than we realize need) was PT for my eye muscles.

He found that the rectus muscles that control eye movement from side to side were too weak, especially in my left eye, to help me track movement and to focus on objects. I also had some weakness in the up and down moving muscles as well. My right eye was doing most of the work and it wasn't as good at it as it could be either. He had me use the Brock String (beads that you can slide to different distances on a string, and they'll stay put until you move them again), Stereoscopic 3D Therapy, pendulum swings and others. It took a lot of determination, self-control, and encouragement from my family for me to get through the sweat, tears and frustration of doing those exercises daily, but I'm now glad that I did.

Because of his help, I was finally able to read and write to some degree by the time I was eight and able to read fluently by the time I was twelve. It got so I went from avoiding reading and asking people to read to me, or listening to books on tape, so that I could memorize the stories to becoming an avid reader and frequent visitor to the library.

Cameron explains ways that our vision problems can impact our reading so well in this video! It took a long time, a ton of concentration and a lot of practice for me to stop seeing pages like his video within the talk shows. I love that video where the sensor can detect what the patient's eyes are actually looking at on the page! I've never been able to explain to people what I see when I'm trying to read very well, but this video comes quite close to it. In addition to getting lost on the page because my eyes accidentally focus on the wrong spots at the wrong times, I also see the words slide from side to side and sometimes, I see two lines of the same text overlapping each other. It's not as bad now that I strengthen my eye muscles with exercises (which I still have to do now and then), but if I'm the least bit tired or distracted, these vision problems can still happen to me all these decades later (I'm in my late 40's now).

Like he says so well in the speech with the bicycle analogy, my vision was very broken, and it didn't just affect my ability to read. It affected, and still affects, my ability to judge distance, track movement, focus on objects or on people, see details of things properly, etc. This has effects on practically every aspect of daily life. Like he said, I wasn't any good at sports that involved moving objects - which is most of them. The only one I was kind of good at was running and I had the stamina to run long distance races. Too bad my community didn't care about track and field very much. They were all about rodeo, football and basketball - three things I couldn't do at all.

Even social interactions are difficult because people might assume that I'm avoiding them or that I'm lying to them because I can't maintain eye contact with them for more than a few seconds at a time. It takes so much concentration to see properly that I'm actually better off not even looking at a speaker if I need to focus on what he or she is saying. I'll subconsciously turn my head so that my right ear is pointed towards them instead.

I'm so glad that people are talking about these issues more now and that there are people like Cameron who are working so diligently to help others with their vision challenges! Great talk!

[NathanBonillaWarford]

A short and well-organized TEDx talk on what vision is, what happens when it goes wrong, and why it is important. 

[lisaduisman]

This is my go to video to help parents understand when I say they should consider a Developmental Optometrist evaluation for their student. It has helped multiple kids get visual problems treated.

[josefthiel]

Thank you Dr. McCrodan, explaining vision in 11 minutes!

[mdbowan]

Masterful! Dr. McCrodan covers the topic well, with a message for all learners.

[may]

Excellent description of the visual process--explains so clearly as to why so many children and adults have difficulty with literacy issues.  Thank you, Cam, for your passion and knowledge base on a topic so important to so many people.

[Wittmanvision]

Fantastic video about what vision therapy is and what it can do!

[otiebrown]

Thanks for helping me go from 20/50, to 20/20 in one year.
No more myopia for anyone, as objective science.

[Blacksquareable]

Wow! This gave me so much to think about. Seeing all those different types of vision was really helpful. I am longsighted, myself and had to manage without glasses which means that I didn't get the chance to develop all those visual skills as my eyes were permanantly stressed at near. This lecture has so much information. Thank you.

[monikafaulhaber]

As a chiropractor who treats the cranial nerves with red light therapy successfully I appreciated your Tedtalk. Where can these glasses you use and the reading software be purchased?

[ruthduvall]

Wow so amazing my 17 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with this and your explanation has helped me so much with my understanding of her issue. Sad truth is medical insurance doesn't cover vision therapy. Such a hardship when you want to help your child .

[godfriedvandenbrink]

Hello Cameron,
Thank you for giving to me such a good excample of a clear explanation about visual development and reading problems.
I am working in the profession of Bahavioral Optometry for 30 years in the Netherlands and still find it difficult to create some spin off after a lecture. I guess you are more succesfull in that way. I am alreay searching for soem years for a good read analyser and never saw the one u have. So please can you inform me about the factury .
Thanks in advance and succes with you inportant work.

Best Regards
Hans van den Brink

[daniwallace]

How do I have my son tested with the viziograph and other device?

[psychomom]

Is there a follow up video on what can be done?

[nidgemcmorrow]

My life is ruined from vertigo and eye Movement
I lost my job and everything
I need help

[rachelsingleton]

great video but... visual memory....not memmory.