DR. JOHN'S CASE NOTES : MYOPIC ASPOTMATISM

This disorder is most unusual in that it owes its existence to damage or defects in area of the brain, which processes the images our vision records. Neurological abnormalities cause victims of this disorder not to spot the things they ought to be registering, almost as if they have blind spots within their range of vision. In the case of bridge players, who represent a disproportionately high frequency group within the population of sufferers, they experience a great difficulty and/or inability to spot the spots on the spot cards. Not only do they mix up clubs with spades, and hearts with diamonds, they fail to distinguish high spot cards from a low ones. For them all spot cards might as well be blank.

Acute sufferers have been known to make an opening 3 level pre-empt in spades say, when holding only 4 cards in that suit. Inevitably, they failed to spot that the three other spot cards in amongst their spade holding were, in actual fact, clubs. Their inability to separate from one black suit from another has nothing to do with poor or blurred vision. It is just a simple case of the brain failing to register and locate these cards properly as they are being sorted. These blind spots are a classic symptom of myopic aspotmatism. Revokes are also commonplace, with victims failing to follow suit even when they have 3 or4 cards in that suit to pick from. They can see these cards, but the brain does not record or register the visual information that comes its way. One client of mine complained of making 4 revokes in the same hand giving her opponents an eight trick adjustment, on top of their two hearts tick part-score !!

However sufferers, who fail to register the precise number of spots on their spot-cards, have be known to develop the very embarrassing tendency to play for example their 4's and 2's, under the opponents' 5's and 3's ........despite having the 7's, 8's and 9's in their hand. Indeed, this incurable affliction causes the unfortunate victims to record scores rarely exceeding 35%. Thankfully, mild symptoms only result in players failing to realize their one remaining spot card is higher than any held by their opponents .......... and in cases where they are being squeezed they are utterly unaware of what spot cards have been played, or which are still outstanding. People with this disorder should, in all fairness to other players, never be allowed to play bridge.