BEHAVIORAL OPTOMETRY INSIGHTS

Skeffington’s Four Circles model — Centering, Identification, Antigravity, and Speech/Auditory — reminds us that vision emerges from the intersection of multiple body systems. It is not a passive receiver of light; it is an active organizer of experience.

This is precisely what AI cannot replicate alone. Algorithms can process visual data at extraordinary speeds, but deriving meaning and directing action in a living, embodied, gravity-bound organism is the province of human vision — and our job to support and develop.

The Skeffington Lens in 2026

AI tools are increasingly entering clinical optometry — from retinal imaging to refractive algorithms. For behavioral practitioners, this is an opportunity, not a threat. As AI handles routine screening, we are freed to do what we do best:

•    Assess the whole visual system, not just acuity
•    Identify how a patient derives meaning from their world
•    Guide vision therapy for learning, attention, and performance
•    Connect visual processing to posture, movement, and language

None of these require replacing AI. All of them require being profoundly human.

From Our Courses

Our upcoming Calendar and CC courses revisit these foundations with fresh eyes. Highlights include:

• Vision development across the lifespan in a digital environment
• Integrating AI screening tools into a behavioral workflow
• VT protocols updated for post-pandemic patient profiles

Communicating behavioral optometry’s value to patients and referral sources