How can you tell if a young or nonverbal child is struggling with their vision when they can't explain what they're seeing?

In this episode of Healing Our Sight, Denise Allen welcomes developmental optometrist Dr. Valerie Lam to explore how vision can be evaluated and supported in very young children, including children with autism and other developmental differences.

Dr. Lam shares her experience working with children who may not be able to participate in traditional eye exams and explains how vision therapy can be adapted to meet their individual needs. Together, Denise and Dr. Lam discuss the importance of early intervention, the connection between vision and other developmental skills, and how play, movement, and everyday activities can support visual development.

Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or professional working with young children, this conversation offers encouragement and a new perspective on what's possible.

Connect with Dr. Valerie Lam

Insight Vision Center Optometry, Costa Mesa, California

YouTube: Insight Vision Optometry https://www.youtube.com/@Insightvisionoc

The popular Brock String video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rDygaF3Dog

Connect with Denise Allen and Healing Our Sight

Website: https://www.healingoursight.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Healing Our Sight https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

Have a question or a story to share? Use the link in the show notes to send Denise a message. She loves hearing from listeners!

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

Strabismus surgery can be a polarizing topic—especially when vision therapy is part of the conversation.

In this episode, Denise talks with returning guest Melissa Daniels about surgery, vision therapy, and their own very different experiences navigating both. They explore some of the questions and concerns that come up when surgery becomes part of the conversation—and why there may not be one right path for everyone.

If you've wondered how vision therapy and strabismus surgery might fit together, this conversation offers two patient perspectives from people who have been there.

Contact Melissa Daniels: 

Website & Strabismus Support Community: https://learn.strabismussolutions.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@strabismustostereopsis7799/featured

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Healing Our Sight:

Website: https://healingoursight.com/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Healing Our Sight https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

YouTube: Healing Our Sight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXgQNbbzLqQ&list=PL2aq4va4NaHxER1nbvDKgMBXlavcAJCkg

Have a question, comment, or story to share? Use the link in the show notes to send Denise a message.

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

A routine eye exam turned out to be the highlight of my day.

In this solo episode, I share what I learned after looking back at old vision records, what my doctor and I are exploring next, and why I’m still interested in finding out how much more my vision might change.

Along the way, I discovered something in my old records that made me smile: apparently, having “unrealistic expectations” for my vision has been a recurring theme for me.

Considering that I gained 3D vision at age 54, I’m okay with that.

If there’s one idea I hope you take away from this episode, it’s this: where your vision is today doesn’t necessarily tell you where it can be tomorrow.

Have you ever been told that your expectations for your vision were unrealistic? I’d love to hear your story. Use the link in the show notes to send me a message or join the Healing Our Sight Facebook group.

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

Lulu Elmes returns to Healing Our Sight to clarify the differences between Somatics, Somatic Yoga, and traditional yoga.

Lulu explains how Hanna Somatics influenced the development of Somatic Yoga, why the practice emphasizes slow, conscious movement rather than stretching, and how awareness, breathing, and rest help the brain and body integrate change.

We also bring the conversation back to vision, exploring how releasing tension and improving coordination through the neck, shoulders, and torso may influence the way we use our eyes.

This follow-up conversation offers a deeper understanding of the principles behind the Somatic Yoga practice and why slowing down and sensing what is happening in the body can be such an important part of the process.

Connect with Lulu Elmes

If you'd like to learn more about Lulu's work or connect with her directly:

📞 Phone/Text: 808-276-7005

 📧 Email: [email protected]

Please send Lulu a text if you email her, as she doesn't check her email regularly. A quick text letting her know you've sent a message is the best way to make sure she sees it.

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingoursight.com/

Healing Our Sight Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

Healing doesn't always follow a straight path. Sometimes the answers come one step at a time.

In this episode, I sit down with Lulu Elmes to discuss her remarkable journey through serious injury, vision challenges, and nervous system recovery. Along the way, she shares how CranioSacral Therapy, Hanna Somatics, Cymatics, and other complementary approaches became part of her own healing journey—and how those experiences now shape the way she helps others.

We also explore the connection between vision and the nervous system, why healing often requires patience, and the importance of becoming an active participant in your own recovery.

If you've ever felt discouraged because your healing is taking longer than you hoped, I think you'll find encouragement in Lulu's story.

Connect with Lulu Elmes

If you'd like to learn more about Lulu's work or connect with her directly:

📞 Phone/Text: 808-276-7005

 📧 Email: [email protected]

Please send Lulu a text if you email her, as she doesn't check her email regularly. A quick text letting her know you've sent a message is the best way to make sure she sees it.

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingoursight.com/

Healing Our Sight Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

I almost didn't post this, but it's a real, in-the-moment reflection on where I am right now. If you've ever felt discouraged because your vision isn't improving as quickly as you hoped—or because life isn't going the way you expected—I hope this episode encourages you. I share some of my own recent struggles, why a message from a listener changed my perspective, and a few of the practices that help me stay hopeful and keep moving forward.

Where are you in your journey, and what would you like to hear more of?

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingmysight.com

Healing our Sight Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

In this episode, I’m joined by vision therapist and nervous system advocate Hannah Walton Morris for a conversation that goes beyond eye exercises and into the deeper layers of healing.

We talk about how vision, the nervous system, and emotional well-being are all connected—and why feeling safe in your body is such an important part of the process. Hannah shares her perspective on why some people struggle in vision therapy, how the vagus nerve plays a role in regulation, and simple ways to support your body through breath and awareness.

This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t just about doing more—it’s about creating the conditions where your body can actually respond.

Connect with Hannah

Her book, Untamed Self-Love : https://books.by/wild-wordkeeper

Website: https://wildwellnesswithhannah.com/

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingmysight.com

Healing our Sight Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

Denise shares a personal reflection on her vision improvement journey—from early skepticism to real change later in life.

After being told her expectations were “unrealistic,” she began to question who really decides what’s possible for your vision.

Listen for the story behind why she doesn’t need reading glasses at age 63.

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingmysight.com

Healing Our Sight Facebook Group:
 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

 In this episode of Healing Our Sight, Denise talks with vision therapist Thomas Headline about what really helps people make progress in vision therapy—and why that process looks different for each person. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, Tom shares practical insight into how therapy works, what patients need to succeed, and how therapists adapt along the way.

They also explore how the field has evolved, why individualized goals matter, and what both patients and parents should understand before starting the journey.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What makes vision therapy effective
• Why patient awareness and follow-through matter
• How therapists adjust for different needs and challenges
• More complex cases, including anomalous correspondence, and how therapists approach these challenges in practice.
• What can slow progress or lead to plateaus
• How vision therapy is changing over time

Connect with Thomas Headline: https://headlinevisionenterprises.com/faq.html

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingmysight.com

Healing our Sight Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570817348

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.

In this episode of Healing Our Sight, Denise speaks with Dr. Benjamin Winters about how symptom awareness can help uncover hidden vision problems and guide the recovery process.

Dr. Winters explains how symptoms like headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and visual discomfort are often connected to how the visual system is functioning—even when standard eye exams appear normal. He shares how tools like symptom surveys can help patients and practitioners identify patterns, track progress, and better understand what’s really going on.

The conversation also explores Dr. Winters’ broader work, including his Emergent approach, the tools and training he provides, and how these support both patients and practitioners in achieving more effective outcomes.

Denise and Dr. Winters discuss the importance of awareness, listening to your own experience, and using practical tools to support the vision therapy journey.

This episode is especially helpful for individuals navigating vision therapy, parents seeking answers for their children, and anyone experiencing unexplained visual symptoms.

Resources & Links:

Symptom Surveys:
Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey: https://www.hopecliniconline.com/online-vision-screening

Quality of Life Survey: https://www.covd.org/page/QOLSurvey

YouTube Video Mentioned:
https://youtu.be/EDRfCfnZFNo?si=FjJNcwlMQYjh41-u

Website:
 https://hopecliniconline.com

Connect with Denise Allen:

Website: https://healingmysight.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healingoursight

If you liked this episode, click here to send me a message. I also appreciate guest and topic suggestions.

I'd love to hear from you! Click the "If you liked this episode, CLICK HERE" link above to send me a message. Your comments, questions, guest suggestions, and topic ideas come directly to me as Fan Mail, and I read every message.