WHAT IS VISION? Great question...let's start with the basics. VISION IS MORE THAN 20/20! Most people think only of how clearly they see. We refer to this as 'sight'. VISION is a highly complex interaction of several skills which allow us to interpret, understand and act on what we see. These VISUALSKILLS consist of:     * VISUAL TRACKING - the ability to accurately move our eyes to information we want to see. This is critical for keeping our place while reading, or following a ball during sports.     * VISUAL FOCUSING - the ability to maintain clarity of the information we want to see, and to be able to shift our focus to information at various distances (near or far) accurately and quickly. This is important for visual stamina in order to prevent fatigue.     * EYE TEAMING - the ability to aim both eyes accurately at information we want to see. This is important to prevent seeing double and for precise depth perception (knowing how far away something is from us).     * VISUAL-MOTOR INTEGRATION SKILLS - the ability of the visual system to guide the body through meaningful movement patterns to deal with the surrounding space. This is important for maneuvering around furniture, playground equipment and out on the ball field. It is also important for the reproduction of graphic symbols.     * VISUAL-AUDITORY INTEGRATION SKILLS - the ability of the visual and auditory systems to synthesize information received through the sense of sight and sense of hearing to gain meaning and understanding of this information. This is important for the ability to look and listen simultaneously. It is also important for the person to direct his visual attention to the source of auditory information to aid in multi-sensory support.     * VISUAL PERCEPTION SKILLS - the ability to recognize, interpret and understand the objects and forms we perceive through the sense of sight. This is important in all aspects of learning from simple letter & number recognition skills to accurately reproducing spelling words.     * VISUALIZATION - the ability to use the mind's eye to recall, manipulate and extrapolate information received through the sense of sight. This is important for converting the text of reading material into visual images for comprehension and for complex problem-solving skills. "My hands won't do what my eyes see." If any of these skills are not optimum, problems can arise. Think of this scenario: If your eyes move erratically over the page and you have difficulty maintaining clarity, that will certainly impact your ability to understand and comprehend the material you are trying to read. Visit our SYMPTOMS page to see how deficits in other visual skills may affect you or someone you know. If you would like more information about vision problems and how they impact learning, sports performance and other everyday life experiences, plus learn about treatment options, please feel free to contact us to set up a workshop. CONTACT INFO: SHOESTRING VISION SOLUTIONS, INC. 304 TRADEWINDS DRIVE #2 SAN JOSE, CA 95123 (408) 528-9509 - main (408) 528-9509 - fax Email: INFO@SHOESTRINGVISION.COM WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP!