A major cause of eyestrain, blurred vision, attention span, double vision (diplopia), and/or headaches.

  • Convergence insufficiency is one of the most common binocular center issues.
  • Convergence insufficiency interferes with a person'south ability to read, acquire, and work within arms reach.
  • Without proper testing, convergence insufficiency will go undetected because testing is not performed in a basic eye examination, school screenings or your pediatricians part.

A person tin have 20/20 visual acuity and still have convergence insufficiency.

  • Treatments tin vary from dwelling based or function based vision therapy to glasses that accept prisms, depending on the severity of the condition.
  • cientific research has proven that office-based vision therapy has the highest success rate in treatment.
  • Pencil pushup therapy is the near commonly prescribed handling, merely scientific studies bear witness that this treatment has a low success charge per unit.
  • Eye surgery is non an option.
  • Convergence insufficiency can be and is treated at whatsoever age.

Convergence Insufficiency (CI) is an middle teaming problem in which the optics accept a problem working together at close working range. One or both eyes tend to migrate outward when reading or doing close work. This rarely causes double vision only volition create a number of symptoms. These can include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, sleepiness after reading a curt time, poor concentration, movement of print while reading as if seasick, acting like some signs of Add, or loss of comprehension after short periods of reading or performing close activities.

Information technology is not uncommon for a person with convergence insufficiency to cover or shut 1 eye, turn their head at an angle,or resting their caput on i arm while reading to relieve the strain on the eyes.

Some people who take CI may non complain of whatever symptoms because the brain will shut downwardly or ignore the vision in i eye, commonly chosen suppression. This occurs even though both eyes are healthy and capable of good vision individually.

This tin can carry over to other common daily activities that require the eyes to converge properly. Consequently, a person with convergence insufficiency who suppresses i eye tin can likewise have one of the following symptoms:

  • trouble communicable a thrown ball or other projectiles
  • avoidance of tasks that require depth perception. Eg: handicrafts
  • apparent awkwardness due to misjudgment of physical distances.
  • tripping on uneven surfaces, stairs, and curbs.
  • spilling or knocking over items when reaching for something
  • bumping into doors, furniture and other stationary objects
  • problems with motion/ car sickness

If untreated, in some severe cases, CI can lead to the eye turning outward, commonly called a "wall eye", that comes and goes (intermittent exotropia).

Detection and Diagnosis of Convergence Insufficiency

A basic centre exam or school screening is not adequate for the detection of convergence insufficiency (and many other visual weather condition). Testing needs to include a comprehensive history, center teaming tests, as well as focusing tests past an eye doctor who tests binocular (both optics teaming together) vision and who can refer or provide for in-office vision therapy is recommended for all individuals, peculiarly children.

Convergence insufficiency disorder oftentimes goes undetected in children. Many times they are being treated for ADD, ADHD, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, etc. and not even looking at a possible eye problem.

The skillful news is that convergence insufficiency responds well to proper treatment, the bad news is this: due to lack of testing for convergence insufficiency , many people are not getting the assistance they need. Many are never discovered and go through life with a visual handicap. Children, teenagers and adults who remain undiagnosed and untreated tend to avert reading and close piece of work, or utilize diverse strategies to accommodate to the symptoms.

Treatments for CI include prism spectacles or vision therapy. Prism glasses do not right the trouble but tin decrease some of the symptoms. The private volition be dependent on the prism and may require college levels of prism in the future.

Vision therapy has proven to exist the most effective handling choice for CI. A National Center Institute report ended that the best treatment was in office vision therapy with home therapy performed on a daily basis. It also showed that 75% of the children in the study saw marked improvement or full remediation of their problem within 12 weeks of the approved protocol.

Pencil Push-ups are used past many ophthalmologists and optometrists as a home-based therapy but scientific enquiry does not back up this method. Studies done on pencil pushups take shown it to be ineffective in eliminating symptoms.

Surgical Intendance is non an option for CI.

References:

1. Bartiss, M. Extraocular Muscles: Convergence Insufficiency. eMedicine.com, Inc., eMedicine Specialties, Ophthalmology. 2005.

2. Scheiman M, Mitchell GL, Cotter S, et al; the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) Study Group. A randomized clinical trial of treatments for convergence insufficiency in children. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2005;123:fourteen-24. Complete article – PDF version

three. Birnbaum MH, Soden R, Cohen AH. Efficacy of vision therapy for convergence insufficiency in an developed male population. J Am Optom Assoc. 1999;70:225-232.

iv. Scheiman M, Cooper J, Mitchell GL, et al. A survey of treatment modalities for convergence insufficiency. Optom Vis Sci. 2002;79:151-157.

five. Gallaway G, Scheiman K, Malhotra M. Effectiveness of pencil pushups treatment of convergence insufficiency: a pilot study. Optom Vis Sci. 2002;79:265-267.

half dozen. Rouse MW, Borsting E, Hyman L, Hussein M, Cotter SA, Flynn Grand, Scheiman M, Gallaway M, De Land PN. Frequency of convergence insufficiency among fifth and sixth graders. Optom Vis Sci. 1999 Sep;76(ix):643-9.

seven. Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. Randomized clinical trial of treatments for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2008 October;126(x):1336-49.