Teaming up with Josh

 You know... I always have my eyes open to things that could potentially get me closer to my goals faster.  As such, one day I did a search for 'VR vision therapy' and hit upon Optics Trainer.  I emailed the contact, and got a prompt response from the owner (and only employee) Josh, asking him about product availability.  It just struck me as obvious that VR has huge potential for vision training, and here I am with a fancy VR headset and no VR vision training software.  Time to get some.  I tried my hand at Vivid Vision (the pioneers of VR-based vision training), but that kind of fell through.  

So, I got to talking with Josh (based in San Diego), and he struck me as a super-legit guy--with a background in gaming design, and a desire to help people.  Turns out game design experience is a very valuable and applicable skillset.  

Anyway, we got talking, and I dug where he was coming from, his obvious intelligence, and interest in having a positive impact on people's vision.  I was really messaging him because I wanted access to his software--and was willing to pay a lot for it.  There are a few versions.  One is for doctors to use with their clients, and one is for the clients themselves to use with their own HMDs.  The client version isn't yet publicly available, but he did tell me the price range he was planning for, and was shocked as its low price.  

Regardless, he agreed to give me a free beta version (I don't mind being a guinea pig).  I would benefit from the therapeutic uses of the software, and I would provide him with feedback.  From what I've seen so far, the software is more sophisticated than any other vision training software I've seen.  The games look better, they're more fun, and some of them are auto-adjusting, meaning they gauge your abilities dynamically and won't push you past your limits.  And Josh has access to all the knobs.  I asked him 'got any antisuppression games'?  Then he was like... 'give me a sec.'  Then BAM.  Just like that, most of the games are now anti-suppression (Some elements of the game are accessible to one eye; others are accessible to the other eye--and it's randomized--a neat trick he programmed himself.  Like I said, smart dude.).

Then the gears started turning.  What would be real nice is a community centered around vision therapy--kind of like what I had around ten years ago on Facebook.  So Josh quickly spun up a Discord server.  We're the only guys in it now.  If you're:

• Interested in vision therapy
• Interested in the therapeutic potential of VR for vision training
• Interested in being a part of a community that is centered around those things

Send me a message.  We'll chat, and if you seem like a good fit, I'll invite you to the server.  

awaranowski@gmail.com

You can spam me if you want.  I'm not going to have this email address for much longer.  

Closer. Feels damn close.

 I'm at a new place now.  Feels so damn close.  I am tired.

Periphery is key

 The new Columns technique I'm using (Chunking) seems to have made a big difference.  In a small amount of time my peripheral vision improved and it feels like it's got me a lot closer to fusion.  It appears developing strong peripheral vision is an important part of fusion and stereopsis.  I may try and combine Chunking with Rolling next.  I'm so close.  Grr... 

I think things are about to accelerate again (until complete hopefully)

 I think this new regimen might get me to the finish line.  In this moment, I have renewed belief that I'm going to succeed.  I was just playing Pavlov VR and was getting new moments of depth--noticing new vividness--noticing how much extra information was coming in.  It's like it's enveloping me.  Let's see what this is in two weeks.  Keep going.

Stuff is happening and new Columns technique (chunking)

 Might have figured out something valuable.  It's a new way of doing Columns.  Just did about 30 minutes.  Instead of doing Rolling, which is something I've been doing lately, I've been doing 'Chunking'.  So when I look at the columns when doing Columns (there are four columns of numbers and letters on each side--left and right) I will look at all of the columns once--kinda like diffused attention across all of them really exercising the periphery.  Then I'd slide over to the other side and do the same with the other set of columns on the right side.  Then, I'll zoom out and try to notice both chunks of columns (left and right) and try to read all the symbols as a sort of 'Super Chunk'--again, attention is diffused.  

This is very difficult to do, kind of fun, and it seems to have made a huge difference.  

Really, here's how I came across this technique.  I was thinking backwards about what the sheet will look like when I'm finally done.  What does it look like?  Then imagined myself as there, and then imagined how do I get from where I was to this new place, and then work backwards.  I've heard a lot of people talk about using this as a way to achieve goals as quickly and effectively as possible.  It's interesting, I think I'm going to do more of this.  

But yeah, I played Pavlov VR for a few hours last night.  It was insane.  I'm definitely in a new place.  Keep going.  I am making forward progress.  Keep going.

I can barely stand this

 I don't know what to say.  I want this to be done.  But man I noticed huge improvement yesterday as well as today.   It's super annoying and irritating.  Zeno's Paradox on steroids.  I've said it before, but fuck Zeno.  Well, actually I never said that until now, and I do not recant.  It's the feeling.  I can't describe it, but I suspect binocular vision feels great, and what I've had all my life sucks by comparison.  Cause new feeling is great, and it's only getting bigger and greater.  

It's the sliding.  I'm sure it has to do with the way that I'm doing Columns.  So I think I basically have the refraction and lenses necessary to eventually fuse.  What I'm doing is not ideal (using cheap reading glass lenses I bought on Amazon), but I think it's sufficient, and I think I'm going to fuse.  What would be ideal is if I had a competent vision doctor prescribe me with contact lenses to allow me to get refraction as equal across the eyes as possible.  That is not the current situation I'm in.  I think the refraction is sufficiently similar across the eyes in order for my current regimen to ultimately allow me to fuse and enjoy binocular vision.  After all, my posture is overall quite good, these days I'd say.  If I use good posture generally and pair that with high dose vision therapy combined with all the other stuff I do for neuroplasticity, I should cross the line not too long from now.  I'm so goddamn close.

I think it's the sliding in combination with anti-suppression, in combination with the right lenses.

Rolling seems to be working

 I'm getting antsy again--it's now July.  I wanted to be done with this.  But I am making progress.  

The way I'm doing Columns now is that I slowly shift from one eye to another.  There is always a moment of 'switching' from one eye to another, but it's becoming less and less.  And I just pay closer and closer attention to the moment of 'switching' and hopefully squash it down so that there is no switching.  Both channels are just on.  And I'm also kind of focused on noticing the whole sheet across both eyes--you know, using them as a whole.  I mean, yeah.  That has to be the way forward.  Keep going.

Oh yeah, Optics Trainer VR is delayed due to needing more time for testing with their clients.  Well, it's cool to know that it's a legitimate business, and it seems likely that real engineering went into the product.