At 38 years old, Marie believed she had reached a hard limit in her life.
Every time she tried to read, she would fall asleep. Shelves of books sat untouched, while audiobooks became her only option. She didn’t know this was something that could change or that the problem wasn’t willpower, motivation, or “something wrong with her”.
“I knew something wasn’t right”, Marie shares. “But I didn’t know how bad it was until I came to MyVisionFirst”.
Her journey from chronic brain fog and exhaustion to clarity, energy, and confidence is a powerful reminder of how misunderstood vision truly is and how transformative Vision Performance Training™ can be when the eye-brain connection is finally addressed.
Before working with MyVisionFirst, Marie lived in a near-constant state of mental fog.
No matter how hard she tried, struggled with:
She had tried everything she could think of to feel better.
“I tried inner work – spiritual, emotional, and mental work. I tried physical approaches like vitamin infusions and body work. You name it, I tried it”.
Nothing worked.
Despite her efforts, the fog never lifted. Her energy never stabilized. And the sense of clarity she remembered from earlier in life felt increasingly out of reach.
Before working with MyVisionFirst, Marie lived in a near-constant state of mental fog.
No matter how hard she tried, struggled with:
She had tried everything she could think of to feel better.
“I tried inner work – spiritual, emotional, and metal work. I tried physical approaches like vitamin infusions and body work. You name it, I tried it”.
Nothing worked.
Despite her efforts, the fog never lifted. Her energy never stabilized. And the sense of clarity she remembered from earlier in life felt increasingly out of reach.
Marie’s struggle wasn’t just physical. It was deeply emotional.
Her trust in the medical system had already been shattered previously, when her son was misdiagnosed while he had a brain tumor. An optometrist dismissed her concerns, told her everything was fine, and sent them home when something was very wrong.
“The message we kept getting was that there were no options, and no hope.”
The experience left Marie hesitant to trust another provider. But it also sharpened her intuition and her determination to keep searching for answers.
Marie reached out to MyVisionFirst because of Dr. Bryce Appelbaum.
“He was the first person who actually let me know there were solutions and that he had them. I didn’t even know this kind of support existed”.
Through a Comprehensive Functional Vision Evaluation, Marie finally began to understand what had been overlooked for years: her symptoms weren’t personal failure, emotional shortcomings, or a lack of discipline.
They were neurological.
Her eyes and brain were not communicating efficiently.
For the first time, everything made sense.
In Vision Performance Training™, Marie began retraining her visual system and repairing the eye-brain connection that had been driving her symptoms for years.
What surprised her most wasn’t just the results, it was the experience itself.
As her visual system improved, so did every area of her life.
“I can read hundreds of books I’ve saved on my shelves now. I don’t have to rely on audiobooks anymore. I missed being able to hold a book, read it, and truly comprehend it.”
Perhaps most unexpectedly, Marie noticed her intuitive and psychic gifts deepen as her visual system stabilized, a connection she never realized was possible.
Healthy Visual System
Struggling Visual System
As her vision improved, Marie had a powerful realization.
“I started to understand that symptoms I’ve had since childhood were directly related to my eyes and brain not communicating properly.”
Being in the clinic was sobering. It brought long-held beliefs and experiences to the surface, but it also brought hope.
“Dr. Bryce gave me immense reassurance that I didn’t have to live this way anymore.”
Marie wants others to know this:
“You don’t have to keep living like this. You don’t have to suffer or struggle”.
Brain fog, chronic fatigue, reading exhaustion, and mental cloudiness are not character flaws and they’re not something you just have to accept.
Her story reflects what so many people experience:
When vision is overlooked, healing stalls.
When vision is addressed, life opens back up.
Functional vision problems are often mistaken for dyslexia or ADHD because the symptoms look so similar.
Kids get labeled with something that will shape their whole lives, yet the root issue — how their eyes and brain are working together — is rarely tested. When the visual system isn’t functioning smoothly, reading and learning feel harder than they should.
At MyVisionFirst, we measure and train the eye–brain connection: the skills that keep words clear, lines steady, and focus strong. When those skills are strengthened and enhanced, families see a dramatic shift — smoother reading, less frustration, greater confidence, and more energy left for learning and life.
Progress doesn’t have to feel like a daily battle. When hidden vision problems are uncovered and addressed, kids finally get to experience the relief, clarity, and transformation they deserve.
At MyVisionFirst, we’re not your typical eye care clinic—and we like it that way.
Based in Bethesda, Maryland, we specialize in neuro-optometry and functional vision rehabilitation for both children and adults.
Our mission: Unlock Your Potential Through Vision.
At MyVisionFirst, we don’t just help people see—we help them see what’s possible.
We help people finally understand why their vision doesn’t feel right—even if they’ve been told everything looks “normal.”
Whether you’re a student struggling to read, an adult battling screen fatigue, or someone recovering from a brain injury or concussion, we help uncover and treat the underlying visual processing issues that traditional exams often miss.
And we don’t just serve the Maryland & DC metro area.
Patients travel from across the U.S. (and beyond) for our Vision Intensives, and many benefit from our virtual training programs that bring high-level care right to your home—no matter where you are.
Curious if a functional evaluation could help you or your child?
We invite you to start with our quick self-check quiz or schedule a discovery call with our team to learn more about how MyVisionFirst can help.
