Lessons from Dr. Frank Forgnoni’s Vision For All Ages: Better Vision for Better Living

Vision For All Ages: Better Vision for Better Living, by Dr. Frank Forgnoni. ISBN: 9798991880015

Disclaimer: Dr. Forgnoni is a personal friend, and one I highly respect for his many years of dedication to the eye and vision health of his patients, as well as for his faith and his service to the country as an optometry officer for the U.S. Army Reserves.

Did you know that about 25 percent of all individuals have a visual impairment that can negatively affect reading and learning? And that almost two-thirds of the population are visual learners?

Dr. Forgnoni’s vision for this book is to “encapsulate nuggets of truth about the human vision system and empower others to have a richer, more meaningful understanding of vision.” He calls the book his opus of a 25+ year career as a holistic optometrist.

The book is well-organized, well-written, and informative, but also an easy read. It provides a excellent introduction to all things vision – from a general overview of vision to common vision conditions and diagnoses to vision therapy.

One of the main principles of the book is that early intervention is critical to adult vision health, and yet many families rely only on casual vision checks at pediatrician appointments. At some schools, and as was the case with me, school nurses often conduct rudimentary vision screenings. Unfortunately, in both cases, the child never sees a vision professional.

I was one of the “lucky” ones. I was having some vision issues in elementary school and to my good fortune that school’s nurse caught my amblyopia (often referred to as “lazy eye”). My folks immediately took me to an optometrist who confirmed the diagnosis and prescribed months of eye patches – not fun for an introverted kid trying to just fit in, but invaluable for my vision.

Perhaps my favorite chapter is the overview of vision. Dr Frank defines vision as “the ability to use our eyes to perceive and see pictorial information about the world around us. It involves a complex process starting with light entering the eyes, being focused by various components of the eye, and then being converted into electrical signals that are sent to the brain through the optic nerve.”

Dr. Frank discusses the role vision plays in learning – and again, I can relate. During junior high, my grades started to slip, mainly because I was having trouble seeing/reading the information being presented in the classrooms. Most of my teachers moved my seat to the front row to help, but in the end, at my eye exam, my optometrist said I was near-sighted and needed glasses to clearly see distance.

It’s worth repeating here that vision issues in school-age children can (and do) negatively impact learning and academic performance. In fact, Dr. Frank states, “Vision is often one of the root causes of learning disabilities.” It is essential for children to see an optometrist regularly (before the start of every school year) to avoid having undiagnosed vision problems negatively affect their school performance.

Dr. Frank dedicates an entire chapter to Vision Therapy (VT), which focuses on helping people improve their visual abilities, such as “visual efficiency and visual perceptual skills,” as well as peripheral awareness, visual attention, and faster reaction times. VT is a rather specialized field, and most traditional eye doctors lack the additional expertise/education required.

VT can help with a multitude of issues, such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, double vision, eye tracking defects, dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, and brain injuries.

For the science geek in me, I soaked up Dr Frank’s chapter on eye structures, going into fine detail about each element and including some excellent graphics.

Of course, besides Dr. Frank’s holistic approach to eye and vision care, the place where our work intersects is with the importance of a healthy diet and hydration for good eye health. He has an entire chapter on health conditions that negatively affect vision, stressing that diabetes is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the U.S.

Finally, Dr. Frank discusses some of the more common eye issues for we older folks, such as cataracts, floaters, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. He also has a chapter discussing the options for people who need eye correction, including wearing glasses or contacts or choosing to go with eye surgery (such as Lasik).

Dr. Frank’s final call to action: Be proactive about your eyesight and see your eye care professional as soon as you sense something wrong with your vision or eye health.

This book is just one of several on vision Dr. Frank is developing. His other titles include: Vision & Holistic Health, Vision for Kids, and Vision for Kids Coloring Book.

Final Recommendation: This book provides an outstanding overview of vision and eye health, and is a fantastic resource, especially for families. So often we take our eyes and vision for granted, and many also do not make the connection between eating well and good eye health. This book is truly an investment in understanding vision and maintaining and improving quality of life.