If a child has some kind of visual dysfunction, it can hinder their academic performance and affect their reading fluency.

Children who struggle with reading fluency are often intelligent and bright, but somehow they have difficulty reading.

If your child avoids reading or is not reading to their potential, contact an eye doctor near you, as they may have an undetected visual problem.

SEE RELATED: How Does Vision Therapy Boost Self Confidence?

What is reading fluency?

Reading fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately, clearly and with expression. Children must be able to read fluently, whether aloud or quietly to themselves, in order to comprehend what they read. While reading aloud, the words should sound natural, with proper intonation.

Reading fluency is an essential classroom skill as it connects the child’s word recognition to their comprehension. 

Reading fluency gives students the opportunity to concentrate on the meaning of text and to draw correlations between what they are reading and their own prior knowledge. Reading fluency enables students to develop an accurate comprehension.

Non-fluent readers read slowly and sound choppy. They spend more time decoding, so they have less time and energy to understand what they are reading.  Oftentimes, they have to read the same passage many times in order to comprehend it.

Reading fluency and vision

Reading fluency is dependent on the strength of visual skills such as convergence, binocular vision, accommodation, visual fixation and saccades.

A deficiency in any of these crucial visual skills can lead to reading problems, which can have a negative effect on a child’s ability to learn.

Which visual skills are necessary for reading?

• Convergence – the ability of the eyes to retain a single image by turning inward, while at the same time focusing on a near object, such as a book or computer screen.
• Binocular fusion – the ability of the brain to create a single image using distinct visual information received from each eye.
• Accommodation – the ability of the eyes to switch focus between two distances while maintaining clear vision.
• Visual fixation – the ability of the eyes to accurately focus on a target image, such as a word on a page.
• Saccades – rapid eye movements across two or more focus points, such as when reading a sentence across a page or moving from one word to the next.

Could my child have a vision problem?

As children may not be able to verbally express themselves it can be difficult to identify a vision problem.

Common signs of a vision problem may include:

• Covering one eye
• Behavioral problems
• Frequent blinking
• Excessive fidgeting
• Limited attention span
• Tilting head to one side
• School avoidance
• Reading comprehension difficulties
• Reading below school grade level
• Reading avoidance

If your child shows signs of a visual impairment, it is important to visit an eye doctor near you for a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s vision and visual skills.

Can vision therapy help?

Vision is a learned skill that can be trained and strengthened.

If a vision problem is at the root of your child’s reading difficulty, a vision therapy program can improve your child’s reading grades.

A vision therapy program may help to improve your child’s visual skills and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in learning and reading.

Each vision therapy program is created to the needs of the individual child, and may include prisms, filters, specialized lenses and eye exercises to help retrain the brain-eye connection and improve visual skills.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

If you think a vision problem may be affecting your child’s reading success, schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency.

The post What is Reading Fluency? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Almost 60 percent of people who use computers and digital devices daily experience eye strain, including sore eyes, headaches, tiredness or loss of concentration.

Here are 5 tips to reduce your risk of eye strain affecting your daily life:

1. Frequent eye exams

Let your eye doctor know if you are experiencing any symptoms listed above. Frequent eye exams are the most important thing you can do to reduce the impact eye strain is having on your life.

2. Reduce glare

Glare from light reflecting off walls and finished surfaces, as well as reflections on your computer screen also can cause eye strain. Using an anti-glare screen on your screen may also reduce reelected glare off the display.

3. Avoid dry eyes

When using a computer the eyes can dry out, due to blinking less often and air conditioning. When staring at a screen, people blink less frequently, up to 66% less than they normally do and tears can also evaporate due to air conditioning.

If you experience dry eye symptoms, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you to discuss artificial tears or other eye lubricants.

4. Walk away

To reduce your risk for computer vision syndrome and neck, back and shoulder pain, it is recommended to walk away – from your screen. Taking frequent screen breaks at least one 10-minute break every hour, will allow your eyes to relax.

During these breaks, stand up, walk for 5 minutes, and also stretch your arms, legs, back, neck and shoulders to reduce tension and muscle fatigue.

5. Computer glasses

Customized computer glasses can be prescribed by eye doctors, these often provide the greatest relief from computer eye strain..

Computer glasses also are a good choice if you wear bifocals or progressive lenses, because these lenses generally are not optimal for the distance to your computer screen.

Computer glasses can also include blue light lenses and anti-reflective (AR) coating, which also reduces glare.

The post 5 Tips to Avoid Computer Eye Strain appeared first on Optometrists.org.

When a child has a visual processing or perceptual disorder it hinders their ability to make sense of information taken in through the eyes and visual system. This does not mean they have problems with sharpness of vision or sight.

Many children have difficulties with eye tracking, which impacts how the brain interprets visual information.

What is eye tracking?

Eye tracking, also called visual tracking, is the eyes’ ability to track from left to right in an efficient manner and to follow moving objects.

Eye tracking problems are successfully treated with vision therapy.

Eye movements should be quick, consistent and smooth.

Eye tracking is critical to success in sports and school. The ability to track a ball or words on a page are affected when a person has poor eye tracking skills.

Poor eye tracking skills can cause difficulty in math, reading and writing. The issue is not with the eyes themselves, but the eye muscles. With poor eye tracking, eye motions may lack smoothness, causing vision to be jumpy. This can be a big contributor to dyslexia symptoms.

If you suspect your child has a learning difficulty, contact an eye doctor near you, who can diagnose and treat any visual problems.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Reading Fluency

Eye tracking symptoms  

Some of the symptoms associated with eye tracking deficits include:

• Difficulty paying attention
• Clumsiness
• Difficulty copying from the board at school
• Guessing of words
• Guided reading – uses a finger when reading
• Loss of place when reading, writing, or copying
• Omits words or transposes words when reading
• Overwhelmed by pages of text
• Poor accuracy with word endings
• Poor awareness of punctuation
• Poor reading comprehension, fluency and speed
• Poor handwriting
• Poor sports performance
• Skips sentences
• Resists or avoids reading
• Re-reads words or sentences
• Reverses words or letters
• Rubs or squints eyes when reading
• Tilts head when reading
• Words or text may appear to float or move on the page

Vision therapy and eye tracking

The best way to treat a visual tracking disorder is with vision therapy. 

Vision therapy is a customized program to help strengthen the eye-brain connection, which is often weak in a person with visual tracking problems. It involves specific exercises designed to teach the eyes how to move smoothly from one place to another.

Sometimes reading lenses and/or bifocals can be helpful to reduce eye tracking symptoms. Therefore your eye doctor may recommend a vision therapy program along with lenses.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor near you to evaluate your child’s eye tracking abilities.

The post 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Eye Tracking appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Visual efficiency is understood by measuring how effectively the eyes work together as a team.

Think of a car that has a poor engine, it won’t drive very fast. Reduced visual efficiency affects the eyes the same way the engine affects the car – only now it’s the eyes that do not work too well.

Signs of visual efficiency problems?

The most frequent symptoms of visual efficiency problems include:

• Reading below grade level
• Attention or concentration difficulties
• Uses finger pointing while reading
• Poor reading comprehension
• Disruptive in class
• Closing of one eye
• Words or letters moving, jumping, or running together when reading

What is visual efficiency measured?

Visual efficiency is measured by an eye doctor by examining how effectively the eyes work together as a team. 

The measurements of the eye’s teamwork are calculated based on the visual skills such as;

• Eye tracking
• Convergence
• Focusing

All these skills are essential for effective processing of visual information.

1. Eye Tracking

Eye tracking helps us gather and scan information quickly from the environment around us, this is mainly used in all learning conditions, when reading, doing homework, sitting examinations, using a computer and even on the sports field.

Eye tracking involves smooth and effortless movements of the eyes across a page or computer screen.

When eye movements are slower than normal, it may indicate an eye tracking problem. Three types of eye tracking problems are difficulties with pursuits and saccades and fixation disparities.

Individuals with an eye tracking problem may:

• Easily lose their place while reading
• Have difficulty spelling
• Have poor hand-eye coordination
• Often skip lines when reading
• Omit or substitute words while reading

If you experience any of these eye tracking problems, contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

2. Convergence

Your two eyes need to work in perfect unison and coordination in order to see the world in a clear and precise way. The images the brain creates may be uncomfortable or confusing when the eyes don’t function as a team.

Convergence insufficiency and convergence excess are two common eye teaming problems.

Convergence insufficiency impacts up to 15% of all students and occurs when the eyes find it difficult to focus inwards on an object, such as when reading or using a computer.

Convergence excess is the opposite: the eyes aren’t able to easily focus outward, leading to difficulties with distance vision.

Symptoms of eye teaming problems include:

• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty reading
• Headaches
• Poor depth perception
• Rubbing or squinting of the eyes
• Uncomfortable or tired eyes

SEE RELATED: Guide to Vision Therapy

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor who can assess your visual efficiency and treat any visual problems you may be experiencing.

3. Focusing Problems

Every time our eyes shift their gaze from one object to another, they need to change focus as each object is at a different position, this allows us to see everything clearly and learn effectively.

Focusing difficulties occur when the eye’s lens can’t relax and tighten or maintain a fixed focus position over many hours.

Focusing problems occur when there are difficulties either changing focus from close to far and back again or maintaining focus, such as on a book or computer screen, over an extended period.

Symptoms of focusing problems can include:

• Difficulty or avoiding reading
• Blurred vision
• Blurred vision when shifting focus from one object to another
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Holding objects close to the face in order to view them
• Headaches during or after reading
• Watery eyes

Visual efficiency and vision therapy

Visual efficiency can be significantly improved with vision therapy.

A vision therapy program involves custom-made visual exercises that create new pathways in the visual system. By regularly performing these exercises patient’s will develop improved visual skills and may notice a significant reduction in their symptoms.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you to have their visual efficiency evaluated – it might change their lives!

The post How does Visual Efficiency affect Learning? appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Vision is not just ‘20/20 sight’ but is also how the eyes and brain communicate.

Your child may have clear sight, but in order to learn and have clear handwriting and accurate spelling a child also needs well developed visual skills.

Visual skills are how the eyes and brain talk to each other and are essential to perform at school, especially for handwriting and spelling. If your child has a problem with any of their 17 visual skills the clarity of their handwriting and accuracy of their spelling could be affected.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), up to 1 every 4  children have a significant vision problem that impacts their learning and school performance.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you who can evaluate and determine if your child’s visual skills are impacting their learning.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Reading Comprehension

How do visual problems impact the child?

Vision problems can affect a child’s reading, writing and spelling along with other aspects of learning. If your child’s vision is compromised then their academic performance may suffer.

Vision problems can impact any of these:

• Handwriting
• Homework completion
• Reading fluency
• Reading comprehension
• Spelling
• Attention and concentration
• Classroom performance
• Visual arts

Vision skills for writing

Efficient writing is vital for taking notes, completing assignments and taking exams. Illegible handwriting can lead to proofreading mistakes, and sometimes even avoidance of writing tasks.

If your child is unable to write legibly, they may have reduced fine visual motor and visual perception skills.

Fine visual motor skills: help a child to write neatly, with appropriately sized letters. A child with poor fine visual motor skills may press too hard on the page when writing, which can lead to muscle strain and fatigue of the hand or wrist.

Visual perception: helps a child to visualize words and letters, including their size and shape. This skill triggers a subconscious motor response that  enables the child to write the letters and words on the paper. Without this skill, the ability to write legibly will be affected.

A combination of these two visual skills is necessary to ensure that the letters are written in sequence, consistently sized, within the lines, and appropriately spaced.

Vision skills for spelling

A child’s spelling abilities are affected by their visual skills in focusing and eye pursuits skills.

Focusing: allows your child to see a word with absolute clarity. If a child has poor focusing skills, they may exert too much energy in making sure the word is seen clearly, which can affect their word memory.

Eye Pursuits: enable the eyes to scan a word, with smooth binocular movements, in order to read a word accurately. Without this visual skill, a child may omit sounds in a word. These assumptions and omissions often lead to spelling mistakes.

Vision therapy and writing and spelling

Vision therapy is a personalized treatment program that involves a series of eye exercises to strengthen the eye-brain connection and improve visual skills.

It is important to treat vision problems as early as possible so that your child can achieve optimal results and reach their full potential in school.

If you think your child may have a vision problem, schedule a comprehensive vision evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

The doctor will be able to detect any vision problems, and will discuss how vision therapy could improve your child’s writing and spelling.

The post 2021 Update: Writing and Spelling appeared first on Optometrists.org.

What is BVD?

Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD) is caused by the two eyes not working together, most frequently due to a misalignment between the two eyes.

When people have normal binocular vision, their eyes work in tandem and are perfectly in sync at all times, allowing the eyes to send one clear and focused picture to the brain.

BVD impacts the lives of both children and adults, dramatically affecting school grades and office performances.

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you who can diagnose and treat BVD.

SEE RELATED: Micro-Prisms and BVD

BVD causes difficulties in seeing one clear image. The misalignment of the two eyes causes each eye to send a different image to the brain, which then struggles to turn them into one unified and clear image.

In most cases the misalignment is very subtle, making it difficult to identify.

Even though the misalignment may be small and physically unnoticeable, the symptoms can significantly impact school and office performances.

BVD can result in fatigue, tiredness, double vision and loss of concentration, often leading to increased levels of stress and anxiety.

BVD can manifest at any time, often without an identifiable cause, with symptoms usually experienced during school, college or after long hours at the office.

BVD Symptoms

BVD symptoms can lead to a variety of symptoms, including:

• Double vision
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Motion sickness
• Light sensitivity
• Stress
• Anxiety

If you find that you frequently suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, schedule an exam with an eye doctor that is trained and experienced in diagnosing and treating BVD.

BVD and Vision Therapy

BVD is successfully treated with vision therapy and specific optical lenses called ‘micro-prism lenses’

1. Vision Therapy 

Patients with BVD are often treated with an individualized vision therapy program.

Vision therapy is a program to improve the communication between the brain and the eyes, further supporting the visual system and alleviating the symptoms of BVD.

2. Micro-Prism Lenses

Prismatic lenses work to correct the misalignment in your eyes by manipulating incoming light before it enters your eyes, so when the images from the two eyes reach the brain, the brain can fuse them into a single image.

The prisms in the glasses ‘trick’ your brain into thinking your eyes are properly aligned, causing you to see just one object. This prevents eye muscle strain.

When prism lenses are combined with vision therapy, patients usually find that their symptoms gradually subside or completely disappear.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD)

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you who has experience with BVD to discuss treatment options to help you effectively maximize your vision.

The post 2021 Update: Treatments for BVD appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Once an adult starts to notice the results of vision therapy with their own eyes they realize how beneficial it can be for them, motivating them to improve even further.

What is vision therapy?

Vision therapy is a personalized program of a series of progressive therapeutic eye exercises that help patients improve their visual skills.

The improved visual skills are as a result of enhanced communication between their eyes and the brain. It is an individual and custom-designed treatment program, often used in conjunction with other treatments such as eyeglasses or eye surgery.

Is vision therapy effective for adults?

Many people mistakenly believe that vision therapy is just for children. However, vision therapy is just as effective for adults as it is for children.

Adults can succeed with vision therapy thanks to neuro-plasticity — the brain’s ability to modify, change, and adapt.

Thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain remains dynamic and flexible throughout life. Additionally, adults are usually highly motivated to improve their visual skills, giving them the energy and determination to push through any difficult obstacles and improve their office performance.

Vision therapy can treat a variety of vision conditions:

• Amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Convergence insufficiency (eye teaming)
• Strabismus (eye turn)

Lazy eye and vision therapy

Amblyopia, commonly known as a “lazy eye,” is a neuro-developmental vision condition. Lazy eye develops when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity, causing blurry vision in the affected eye, even with corrective eyewear. The condition also commonly presents with poor depth perception and reading difficulties.

Vision therapy has been shown to considerably improve lazy eye, even in Adults, by re-training the visual system.

Vision therapy for adults can be very effective, but tends to take longer to achieve optimum results. Ultimately, adults can often train their eyes to work together to achieve clear and comfortable binocular vision.

Vision therapy programs may include treatment for:

• Accommodation (focusing)
• Pursuits (eye tracking)
• Fixation (visual gaze)
• Saccades (switching eye focus, “eye jumps”)
• Stereopsis (3-D vision)
• Spatial skills (eye-hand coordination)

Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor to help improve your visual skills.

SEE RELATED: New Research for Adults with Lazy Eye

Convergence insufficiency and vision therapy

Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a binocular vision condition that can affect adults.

Convergence insufficiency affects eye muscle and near vision coordination. Convergence of the eyes occurs when the two eyes need to focus on a close object, such as a book or computer. Convergence insufficiency means the eyes struggle to focus for near tasks like reading and writing, affecting attention to tasks and work performance`.

Vision therapy is the most effective treatment for CI, as standard eyeglasses, contact lenses, medications, and surgery cannot treat the condition.

In many cases, your eye doctor will prescribe prismatic (prism) glasses in combination with vision therapy, as they decrease some CI symptoms. Although prism eyeglasses can relieve symptoms, they are not a “cure” and the patient typically remains dependent on the prism lenses.

Vision therapy focuses on training the eyes to work together to improve depth perception, clear binocular vision and 3-D vision. The goal of vision therapy is to stimulate the communication between the eyes and brain, to enable clear and comfortable vision at all times.

Treatment exercises for CI may include:

• Depth perception practice
• Focusing for near and distance
• Eye tracking with pursuits and saccades
• Training with computerized technology
• Specialized equipment and tools such as prisms and lenses

Eye turns (strabismus) and vision therapy

Strabismus occurs when the two eyes are unable to focus together on one object and maintain proper alignment — one eye looks directly at the object, while the other eye points in a different direction. Strabismus does not go away on its own.

Vision therapy can a highly effective treatment for adults with eye turns and strabismus. 

A vision therapy program for strabismus can help improve:

• Binocular vision
• Eye alignment
• Eye focusing
• Eye teaming
• Eye movements
• Visual processing

A vision therapy program for strabismus may include therapeutic lenses, prisms and filters. Vision therapy involves ocular muscle training as well as training and development of the eye-brain connections required for clear and comfortable vision — resulting in a lasting cure.

A vision therapy program is sometimes recommended by your eye doctor after strabismus surgery in order to re-train the visual system. It is important to treat strabismus as early as possible, as the eye turn may be a result of a serious health issue.

LEARN MORE: Vision Therapy for Lazy Eye

 Schedule a vision therapy evaluation to discuss whether a vision therapy program is the appropriate treatment for you.

Vision therapy might just be the solution you have been looking for.

The post 2021 Update: Vision Therapy for Adults appeared first on Optometrists.org.

If a child has any type of visual dysfunction it could prevent them from achieving academic success and affect their reading fluency.

These children are often bright and intelligent, but somehow their reading is still below grade level.

If your child is not reading to their potential contact an eye doctor near you, as they may have an undetected visual problem, which might require reading glasses or vision therapy.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: Writing and Spelling

What is reading fluency?

Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues. As they read, the words sound natural, as if they’re speaking.

Fluency is an essential classroom skill as it bridges the child’s word recognition to their comprehension. 

It allows students time to focus on what the text is saying and enables them to make connections between what they are reading and their own background knowledge. They are able to concentrate on comprehension.

Non-fluent readers sound choppy and read slowly. They spend more time decoding, leaving less time and energy for comprehension. They often have to read the same passage several times to comprehend what they are reading.

Reading fluency and vision

Reading fluency is dependent on the strength of visual skills such as accommodation, binocular vision, convergence, saccades, and visual fixation. Many children benefit with reading glasses, while others require a program of vision therapy to improve their visual efficiency skills.

A deficiency in any of these vital visual skills can result in reading difficulties, which can  impact a child’s ability to learn.

Which visual skills are necessary for reading?

• Accommodation – the eyes’ ability to switch focus between two distances while maintaining clear vision.
• Binocular fusion – the brain’s ability to form a single image using the distinct visual information it receives from each eye.
• Convergence – the eyes’ ability to maintain a single image by simultaneously turning inward to focus on a near object, such as a book or computer screen.
• Saccades – rapid eye movements between two or more focus points, such as when the eyes move from one word to the next when reading a sentence across a page.
• Visual fixation – the eye’s ability to accurately focus on a target image, such as a word on a page.

Could my child have a vision problem?

It can be difficult to identify a vision problem in a child, as they may not be able to verbally express themselves or know that they have a vision problem, such as visual efficiency problems.

Common signs of a vision problem may include:

• Behavioral problems
• Covering one eye
• Excessive fidgeting
• Frequent blinking
• Limited attention span
• Reading avoidance
• Reading below school grade level
• Reading comprehension difficulties
• School avoidance
• Tilting head to one side

If your child is displaying signs of a visual impairment, it is important to visit an eye doctor near you for a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s vision and visual skills.

Can vision therapy help?

Vision is a learned skill that can be trained and strengthened, vision therapy is a program to develop the visual skills.

If a vision problem is at the root of your child’s reading difficulty, a vision therapy program can help.

A vision therapy program may help to improve your child’s visual skills and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in reading and learning, and enjoy a lifetime of success.

Each vision therapy program is created to the individual needs of each child, and may include specialized lenses, prisms, filters, and eye exercises to help retrain the eye-brain connections and improve vision.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision and Learning Difficulties

If you think a vision problem may be affecting your child’s reading success, schedule an evaluation with a vision therapy eye doctor who can help strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency.

The post 2021 Update: Reading Fluency appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Vision is our primary sense, but most people take their eyes for granted. As we rely more on digital devices throughout our lives, our eyes are starting to feel the fatigue.

What is eye fatigue?

The technical term is asthenopia, but many may know it as eye fatigue or  eye strain. When caused by using a digital screen it’s called computer vision syndrome (CVS) or digital eye strain (DES).

Eye fatigue happens when our eyes experience pain due to being overworked beyond their capacity.

Eye fatigue signs occurs when the muscles in the eye either become fatigued, fail to receive enough hydration and rest from harsh computer screen glare over long periods.

Over time, eyes tend to feel tired and ache, causing difficulties in maintaining attention and concentration.

For some people, their eyes are overworked to a point that they begin to lose concentration and experience disabling eye fatigue, due to glare, air pollutants and long exposure to harmful rays.

When this occurs, it is important to recognize the signs of eye fatigue and then also rest your eyes and take a break from screens or any other activity that requires your eyes to focus intensely.

Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you to evaluate your eyes for eye fatigue.

What causes eye fatigue?

Eye fatigue and tiredness occurs when your eyes get tired from being used intensely, such as working at a computer or driving a car for extended periods. 

In some cases, signs and symptoms of eye strain indicate an underlying eye condition that needs treatment. While you may not be able to change your job, or all the factors that are causing eye strain, you can reduce it.

A common causes of eyestrain is Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD).

If you experience tiredness or fatigue, contact an eye doctor near you, who can diagnose and treat the visual issues of this condition.

SEE RELATED: 2021 Update: BVD and Neck Pain

What is Binocular Visual Dysfunction?

The symptoms of ocular fatigue, tired eyes, blurring, headaches, and occasionally double vision. are brought on by intense use of the eyes for visual tasks.

Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD) is a misalignment between the two eyes, requiring micro-prism lenses.

For some it can occur while concentrating on a visually intense task such as reading fine print or using the computer for hours at a time. These tasks can unconsciously cause the muscles in the eyelids, face, temples, and jaw to clench, leading to discomfort or pain from overusing those muscles.

When eye strain stems from the use of a digital device, it is called Digital Eye Strain (DES) and often results from Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD).

Struggling to see in dim light or an extremely bright or glary environment can also bring on eye strain.

People are found to blink less when staring at a digital screen. This decreased blinking may lead to dry eye syndrome.

The inability to make both eyes work together, due to BVD, is a leading cause of eye strain.

What are the best treatments for binocular vision problems?

Vision therapy and micro-prism lenses successfully treat BVD and CI.

1. Micro-prism Lenses

Prismatic (prism) lenses work to correct eye misalignment by manipulating incoming light before it enters the eyes so that when the images from the two eyes reach the brain, the brain can fuse them into a single image.

The prisms in the glasses ‘trick’ the brain into thinking the eyes are properly aligned, causing them to see just one object and preventing eye muscle strain that can cause headaches.

Micro-prisms are a very low amount, usually under 2 dioptres, however their impact can significantly reduce the headaches suffered by many people.

2. Vision Therapy 

Patients with CI or BVD are also often treated with a customized program of vision therapy.

Vision therapy is a program to improve the communication between the brain and the eyes, further supporting the visual system and alleviating the symptoms of BVD or CI.

Usually, patients find that their symptoms gradually subside or completely disappear when they wear prescribed prism lenses, which can be even further helped by completing a program of vision therapy.

While eye fatigue may be alleviated by making some lifestyle and behavioral changes, your eye doctor may discover that a functional vision problem is the underlying cause of eye fatigue.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD)

Contact an eye doctor near you who can diagnose your eye fatigue and help improve your vision and enhance screen time experience.

The post 2021 Update: BVD and Eye Fatigue appeared first on Optometrists.org.

Anxiety is the most common of all mental disorders. It can cause feelings of near-constant fear, panic, and worry. Feeling anxious and overwhelmed can come from being unsure of your surroundings and prevent sufferers from living a normal life.

When vision is misaligned, it can cause blurred or possibly double vision, dizziness, disorientation and visual overstimulation, especially in crowded places like malls or in crowds.

Many people with vision problems feel anxious and overwhelmed.

Many patients who have previously been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), agoraphobia, suicidal thoughts and panic attacks may actually be suffering from Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD). 

By treating a vision misalignment and allowing the eyes to see clearly and properly, symptoms of anxiety can be reduced or eliminated, providing you with an enormous sense of relief.

Contact an eye doctor near you who has experience working with patients with anxiety and diagnosing and treating BVD.

SEE RELATED: What is Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD)?

What is BVD?

Binocular vision dysfunction is a misalignment of the eyes, making them unable to work together as a team.

While this might not sound serious, especially if the misalignment is only very slight, if the eyes aren’t paired in perfect synchronization, it can be difficult or even impossible for a person to function properly without becoming dizzy – even if their vision is clear.

Dizziness is only one of the many signs of BVD.

How is BVD related to anxiety?

If you suffer from BVD, your brain won’t be able to process and make sense of the incoming images your eyes are sending, often resulting in raised anxiety.

This occurs, particularly in a situation where a patient experiences an overload of visual stimuli. This could be because of the speed they are moving or because they are in a busy shopping place surrounded by noise and people.

As the brain tries to deal with the rush of information that doesn’t quite come together perfectly, the person may experience the various symptoms associated with binocular vision dysfunction.

These symptoms are largely similar, if not identical, to those experienced during an anxiety attack. Many people feel alone and isolated when they experience anxiety, particularly when it is a result of BVD.

Fortunately, there are treatment options available that can help patients to overcome the impact that BVD has on their lives.

If you think your anxiety is related to your vision, contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you.

How to Treat BVD

Vision therapy and prism lenses have been found to be a successful way to treat BVD.

Vision Therapy 

Patients with BVD are often treated with a customized program of vision therapy.

Vision therapy is a program to improve the communication between the brain and the eyes, further supporting the visual system and alleviating the symptoms of BVD.

Usually, patients find that their symptoms gradually subside or completely disappear by completing a vision therapy program.

Prism Lenses

Prismatic (prism) lenses, another proven way to alleviate BVD symptoms, work to correct the misalignment of the eyes by manipulating incoming light before it enters the eyes so that when the images from the two eyes reach the brain, the brain can combine them into a single image.

The prisms in the glasses ‘trick’ the brain into thinking the eyes are aligned properly, causing them to see just one object and preventing eye muscle strain.

Prism lenses are often combined with a vision therapy program, can significantly improve a patient’s life.

LEARN MORE:  Guide to Binocular Visual Dysfunction (BVD)

Contact a vision therapy eye doctor near you to start a vision therapy program to give your eyes the relief they deserve.

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