VCS Testing

By mold recovery 4/19/2009 , , , 4 comments
One of the commonalities my children experienced during the height of our mold exposure involved disruptions in vision. Blurry vision and double vision were repeated issues. Two of the children were prescribed reading glasses and our daughter Kaitlyn was referred to a vision therapist for convergence insufficiency. Soon after I began researching the connection between mold and health I came across Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's website for biotoxin illness. This website features a vision screening that can determine the likelihood of a toxic exposure. The visual contrast test (VCS) tests the nerves that run from the eye to the back of the head. Those harmed by biotoxins will lose their ability to detect the subtle differences between white, grey, and black. The test is affordable and can be done at home. The link and instructions are available below.

Biotoxin Illness and VCS Testing

I paid for one VCS test for Colin and since we had unreliable internet at the time I couldn't follow through with it. We ended up leaving for Arizona and I never went back to it. If anyone has experience with this testing feel free to leave a comment and I will publish it.

4 comments :

  1. Tom JarrettApril 21, 2009 at 9:09 PM

    Hi Andrea,

    My name is Tom Jarrett and I live near Indianapolis. I'm a fellow mold illness journey-er, dating back to Fall 2007 but only finding effective medical treatment starting in January 2009 (much like you). Apparently we've been living out separate mold journeys at about the same time but in different parts of the country. I like that about God...He can lead His children separately through their struggles no matter where they are in the world or at what point in their journey and then He can bring them together when His divine purposes deem it necessary. I can say with confidence that it has been necessary for me to learn about your family and maybe vice versa will also be true.

    About the time you began seeing Dr. Gray in Arizona, I began seeing Dr. Shoemaker in Maryland. These past several months have been a whirlwind of discoveries, as I know you would agree. And I'm thankful to have learned about you and your blog recently, which has accelerated those discoveries.

    I've known about your blog for only a few weeks, but have read and re-read it many times. Thank you for taking the time to document so many helpful tests and treatments. Your detailed suggestions have directly aided in my own treatments and in giving me new ideas (that supplement the Shoemaker protocols) on how to test and protect my family members. We are strongly considering the full mycotoxin panel urine test with RealTime Labs for my family of 4, probably even this week (currently I'm just trying to decide if we should have my wife and kids do a couple days of CSM first to "loosen" the toxins before doing the urine specimens).

    Andrea, I have taken many of the ideas in your posts to my physicians and it is helping to get the word out to so many. Thank you for being a willing voice during your family's illnesses (especially considering how difficult this illness makes it to be thorough and disciplined about anything!).

    Regarding the VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) test: Yes, I highly recommend doing the version on Dr. Shoemaker's biotoxin website at the link you provided. Compared to the many expensive follow-up steps of testing for and treating this illness (which will be inevitable for those who prove to have the illness), the VCS offers a quick and low-cost screening method (I think it is $15). It is also an accurate predicter of the illness, in Dr. Shoemaker's experience. In Mold Warriors, he explains that when people fail the test, they are sick (with few exceptions). He goes on to say that a small percentage (maybe 8%) of people with negative tests (aka "passing the test") turn out to still have biotoxin illness. So, if you pass the VCS test but still have many of the symptoms, don't rule it out! When you do the VCS test on Shoemaker's biotoxin website, it combines the vision test with a symptom questionnaire that together produces something he calls the BIRS (biotoxin illness risk score). Anything over 50% warrants further investigation. My BIRS was 99.92%, even though my VCS portion of the test was negative when I first took it online in Dec. '08. Interestingly, I later had a positive VCS test when I took it again in his office in Maryland in Jan. '09. What helped Dr. Shoemaker seal the diagnosis of biotoxin-induced chronic fatigue and auto-immune illness for me (aka mold illness), were the many abnormal blood tests, the abnormal brain spectroscopy MRI, along with the positive VCS test and my numerous symptoms. The online VCS (with BIRS score) just happened to be the easiest, cheapest, and quickest part of the whole diagnostic process.

    I invite you to my Caringbridge page to read more about my own journey with this debilitating illness. I hope it provides a degree of hope along with answers to difficult questions:
    http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tomjarrett


    Andrea, feel free to share whatever you want from this posted comment.

    Also Andrea, if you are ever interested in getting in contact with me, my email address is tj71099@yahoo.com.

    God Bless you and your family.

    Tom Jarrett

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  2. Sherry ParmeleeApril 25, 2009 at 9:57 AM

    Hello, fellow followers of Andrea's blog!

    I can add my vote of confidence to Tom's regarding the VCS testing on Dr. Shoemaker's website. I took the test today, using it as a starting point to determine if the symptoms I've been experiencing might indeed stem from a toxic source (suspected long-term, low-level mold exposure in my work environment). The test was inexpensive ($14.95) and very easy to take, and I was impressed with the quality and professionalism with which the whole process was handled. I did receive a positive test result (I passed the visual portion of the test but my overall BIRS was 76.85%), for which they advise a thorough medical work-up to rule out other causes. All in all, this site seems to present a balanced, reasonable, and scientific approach to biotoxin illness screening, and I'd recommend it for others who have nagging suspicions similar to mine, but aren't sure what course of action makes the most sense.

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  3. ESFebruary 10, 2010 at 9:12 AM

    In Shoemaker's Book Mold Warriors, he suggests that the VCS test could be used more widely as a screening test. 2 examples of this follow: It could be part of the annual check up with your doctor. It could also be used in the the schools the way hearing and vision screening tests are done on all kids.

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  4. AnonymousMay 3, 2010 at 4:45 PM

    As recently as March 2010 I took Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's VCS test, and it was quite remarkable. Having suffered from an inhalation injury and long-term effects from mold mycotoxins, the VCS test showed damage through my right eye. I have suffered more severe blurry vision in my right eye, more loss of hearing in my right ear, and have or had at least one nasal polyp in my right nostril. I have not worked in nearly a year and a half, and major problems for me includes fatigue, chemical sensitivities, and the inability to regulate Potassium, Vitamin D, and my thyroid levels.

    Myra

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