Vision Beyond Sight – ACBO Connect 2025

Vision Beyond Sight Reflections from ACBO Connect 2025

"This week I had the absolute honour of attending the ACBO Connect National Seminar: Vision Beyond Sight and from the very first moment, it felt like stepping into a vibrant field of energy, knowledge and connection.

The title of the seminar truly says it all.

This was about more than just about eyes.

It was about the heart of vision care.

The why beneath the what.

The spark beneath the science.

The spirit behind the structure.

Somewhere between the notetaking, laughter, sequins and learning something clicked into place.

Attending this seminar was not just a professional experience. It was a soul-level reminder of why we do what we do.

This weekend held both the science and the spirit of vision care and I feel changed by it.

There are moments in life when you know you are sitting in the presence of greatness, not because someone tells you but because you can feel it.

That was exactly how it felt listening to Dr. Jen Simonson from Boulder Valley Vision Therapy.

Her energy was magnetic.

Her passion, undeniable.

Her clarity could be felt as it rippled through the room like a well-tuned vergence response.

To be in the same room as her was a masterclass in wisdom, presence and purpose. Every sentence was laced with insight. Every example was grounded in experience.

Jen breathed life into every concept she shared. She spoke of Visual Development, Vertical Phoria and Strabismus, not as abstract conditions but as deeply human experiences.

Jen reminded us that visual development doesn’t happen behind closed doors or in isolation. It doesn’t evolve in a clinical container. It is sculpted through relationship, shaped by experience and grounded in real environments with real people. Vision grows in connection with caregivers, with movement, with meaning."

Hannah Morris

Lead Vision Therapist at Vision Therapy at Specialeyes Newcastle