If you see your child cover one of their eyes while they are doing their homework, it's important to get a diagnosis for your child so he or she can begin treatment with vision therapy. That way, there won't be any long term affects on their eyes. Here's what you need to know.
What is diplopia & convergence insufficiency?
Diplopia is the medical word for double vision. Convergence insufficiency means the eyes do not work together as easily as they should. The eyes are supposed to work together when focusing on a particular object or area. When they don't, one eye may drift outward or inward, which causes double vision.
Why does your child cover one eye?
Your child likely covers one eye to keep the double vision from happening. They likely discovered this through trial and error if they are young. If they are older, they may have simply realized that it helps them see their homework better. Seeing double can make it very difficult to complete their homework assignments and other tasks that require nearsightedness.
What are other symptoms to look for?
Experiencing double vision can cause headaches and, sometimes, nausea in extreme or prolonged cases due to the eyestrain that occurs when someone attempts to focus when they have double vision. You may see your child rubbing their eyes or squinting a lot. They may lose their place when reading or complain that the words seem to jump around. Convergence insufficiency can also cause motion sickness or dizziness. To better understand the symptoms, go to this web-site.
Why hasn't this been found before?
During your child's annual medical checkup, the pediatrician performs eye tests to check for vision. But conversion insufficiency isn't particularly a vision disorder. It does not affect vision acuity. Your child could have perfect vision and still have conversion insufficiency. Typical vision screening by pediatricians and school nurses will not find convergence insufficiency.
What kind of testing is needed and who does it?
Your child will need their binocular vision, eye teaming, and focusing tested. These tests are performed by eye doctors such as optometrists and ophthalmologists. It's a good idea to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist for the most complete assessment and testing. If, however, your child has a medical condition that may attribute to diplopia or other vision problems, such as Chiari malformation and/or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, schedule an appointment for your child with an ophthalmologist or a neuro-ophthalmologist.
What types of treatments are available?
Vision therapy is one way convergence insufficiency is treated. Essentially, vision therapy helps improve the eye muscles and eyes so they work together as they should. Sometimes, eye doctors will explain how to do eye exercises that can be done in the comfort of your home. Usually, however, vision therapy is done in an office setting similar to seeing a physical therapist. Vision therapy can help both eyes work together.
Another way to treat convergence insufficiency is with prismatic eyeglasses. This form of treatment is not considered as a cure or as a way to improve the eyes. Prismatic eyeglasses do help prevent double vision and other symptoms of convergence insufficiency—but only when the eyeglasses are worn.
What can happen without treatment?
If your child has convergence insufficiency and does not get treated for it, their weakest eye may shut down. At some point, their body will naturally tell the weak eye that it isn't needed any longer, which is called suppression. If someone has only one eye that works properly, they lack depth perception and may find it difficult to play sports and drive a vehicle.
