This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Optometrist, Dr. Vicky Vandervort explains what it is like for a person to have eyes that work but do so inefficiently causing the person to exert extreme effort to see. When this occurs, people, especially children, do not realize the drain on their brain. They try hard, but appear not to be trying at all. She’s found that curing the “vision problems,” in most cases, cures the problems identified as academic problems. “When the visual obstacles are removed, the child begins to excel in school, music and sports. Futures brighten. Self-confidence climbs and a new child emerges from the old, much like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. The possibilities are endless.”