About the Book

Not long ago, Susan Barry took a trip to Manhattan. As she emerged from the subway into daylight, she paused to take in a view that she had seen many times before — but saw now in a completely new way. Buildings loomed out toward her like the bows of giant ships. Tree branches projected outward, capturing a palpable volume of space. For the first time, she was seeing Manhattan in depth.
In Fixing My Gaze, Barry describes the astonishing experience of gaining binocular vision after a lifetime of seeing in two dimensions. Intensive vision therapy created new neural connections, and with them, a new view of the world. Challenging conventional wisdom that the brain is programmed for life during a critical period in childhood, Barry offers a poignant and revelatory account of our capacity for change.

Reviews

“[Barry] tells a poignant story of her gradual discovery of the shapes in flowers in a vase, snowflakes falling, even the folds in coats hanging on a peg…. Recommended for all readers who cheer stories with a triumph over seemingly insuperable odds.”

—Publishers Weekly