Convergence Insufficiency
Common Symptoms of Convergence Insufficiency
Some of the most common symptoms of CI include things like:
- Blurry vision
- Closing or covering one eye while reading
- Double vision
- Eyestrain
- Headaches
- Short attention span
- Squinting
- Trouble concentrating
- Words on a page seem to move or float
CI can cause school-aged children to have trouble reading. Since the eyes cannot converge properly, it makes words seem to move, jump, or float on the page. As the child strains to focus and read the words properly, they can develop sore, tired eyes or complain about headaches.
In adult patients, these symptoms can manifest themselves at work, in family situations, and more. If you’re working on a project with a team, CI can make it difficult to concentrate and stay focused, read materials, research, work on a computer, and other tasks necessary in your profession. Going out to dinner? CI can make it hard to read a restaurant menu or watch a movie without experiencing blurry or double vision.
If you or your child are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to us. Schedule a consultation at Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapyand we’ll work together to help treat your CI and get you back to healthy vision.
My Child Has Glasses. Isn’t That Enough?
Glasses and contact lenses are effective at treating refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia, but they can’t correct everything. Convergence Insufficiency can’t be fixed by wearing glasses or contacts alone. That’s because they correct visual clarity by refracting (bending) light properly, which allows your eyes to see things clearly. However, they can’t force both eyes to focus on a single image simultaneously. That’s what vision therapy accomplishes.
My Child Passed a School Vision Test. Could They Still Have Convergence Insufficiency?
Did you know that 43% of kids with vision problems can successfully pass a school vision test? School vision screenings are an important test for basic visual acuity, but they often miss some important visual problems like Convergence Insufficiency.
This happens because the school test uses an eye chart placed 20 feet away from the child, so if the child’s vision problems aren’t related to distance, they can still pass the test. So even if your child passed their school vision test, their Convergence Insufficiency will continue to affect their reading comprehension, writing, and concentration. Without the right treatment, this can continue on into adulthood.
How We Can Help
Vision therapy can lower anxiety, improve schoolwork, sports, and extracurricular activities, and most importantly, boost self-confidence. Many children and adults have experienced improved visual functions thanks to vision therapy. Learn more about their storiesand see how you can benefit from vision therapy. Each patient has different needs and degrees of visual skills. In order to get the most effective results and achieve a positive outcome,Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapy will create a customized vision therapy program for you.
If you’ve tried private tutors, medications, or alternative treatments without significant improvement of your or your child’s vision, it’s time to try vision therapy. Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapycan help maximize your visual skills and give you stronger, clearer vision.
How Opto-Mization Can Help with Convergence Insufficiency
If you or a loved one is experiencing any symptoms of double vision, dizziness or feeling off-balance, contact us for a consultation. Even if you’ve been told that your symptoms are stress-related, seasonal, or will fade on their own, having a functional visual evaluation can help rule out vision as the root cause or contributing factor to your symptoms.
It’s also important to note that not every optometrist is trained in this specialized field. Only a neuro-optometrist should assess and treat a post-TBI patient with neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy.