Binocular vision dysfunction is a complex ocular condition when your eyes can’t properly see the world as a single image. A person fails to carry out his daily routine, with increased anxiety, disorientation, and dizziness in life with this condition.
Estimates often cite figures around 10-20% of the population has some form of binocular vision as observed in clinical practices, data, and reports. In the US alone, there are estimations that around 10 to 13 million people have some form of binocular vision disorder.
Today, we learn more about the symptoms of BVD, understand its causes from closure, and discuss probable treatment plans for you.
Are you used to 6 hours of desk work? Do you feel your eyes are dizzy and blurry, and your head hurts like crazy? If yes is your answer, you can have BVD and the below-mentioned symptoms.
When you have BVD, your eye muscles are strained. There are fair chances you have head and neck tension, as your eyes require more effort to compensate for the visual misalignment.
As given by Worths classification, there are 3 grades of binocular single vision, which are,
Simultaneous perception is the ability of the eye to perceive two images at the same time and see two dissimilar objects fused. Your eyes can catch the fine details as the visual cortex perceives separate stimuli without suppression. So, vision is quite better in this grade of vision.
It is the simplest and most fundamental form of visual processing as classified by Worth's hierarchy of binocular vision. Assessing these basic BVD disorders helps to treat more critical vision issues and suppression later on.
Fusion is the ability of the eyes to produce one complete picture from two similar pictures, each of which is incomplete. Even though both eyes generate each unique signal of the image, it is fused and passed to the brain in an overlapping line-up to have a bigger image. It is of two types:
It is the ability to perceive two similar mages as one, formed on each retina of the eyes. You add some missing detail and combine a complete picture when both eyes open, though two incomplete, similar images are seen from two different eyes. It is more of a neurological process to sense the fusion of an image into a single coherent one.
Our eyes can maintain an image perceived with sensory fusion, with various horizontal and vertical eye movements. It's more of a physical alignment where images fall on corresponding retinal points.
This form of binocular vision has a 3D effect in addition to merging pictures. Our eye can superimpose 2 images seen by both eyes of the same object but at slightly different angles to give more depth perception. It can also use the differences in how each eye sees angles and distances.
In case you are doing sustained near work, that is a risk factor for binocular vision-related problems. If you have spectacle power and you don't use your glasses, you can have such issues.
Again, if you are not giving your eyes any break, issues can precipitate in this situation as well. While monocular vision loss is caused by anterior disruption, binocular loss suggests your eyes have issues with post-chiasmal pathology (that affects the retina).
Let's discuss some of the primary causes of binocular vision problems, vascular events, ocular conditions, and neurological events, directly or indirectly contributing to BVD. But surprisingly, facial asymmetry and developmental issues also is found to be a leading cause of BVD
Both strabismus and vertical heterophobia can lead to double vision. When one eye turns straight but the other turns inward, outward, upward, or downward, you have strabismus, or crossed eyes, which is an issue.
Vertical heterophoria, on the other hand, is a condition when one eye drifts higher than the other one. In such a situation, your eyes have difficulty with vision perception and could potentially develop other symptoms like vertigo and migraines. Some of the related issues are,
Your eyes can have concussions, head injuries, or traumatic experiences that cause the coordination between the eyes and brain to break. This results in BVD. Even stroke and neurological disorders can impair the brain's ability to process visual information, which is also an issue for doubled and blurry vision.
Many of us find it hard to believe that a condition like BVD is hereditary. If one has a family history of eye misalignment, then there is a fair chance that the related symptoms are passed onto their progeny, with a prominent risk of developing BVD later on in age.
It's the role of eye muscles to properly align the visuals and pass information to the brain accordingly. By any chance, if there is nerve damage or dysfunction, the chain of fair visual perception is disturbed.
Like any other aging concern, your vision also has these instances of going out of order. As you grow older, your muscle strength deteriorates. You can thereby experience misalignment in the eyes and face binocular vision problems.
Sometimes there is no one cause for BVD; it can happen for multiple conditions. For instance, any existing patients can have congenital amblyopia (lazy eyes) and acquired neurological uses like stroke, which abruptly affect their binocular visual function.
Amblyopia is a common vision problem among children. When eyes do not line up equally, then chances are there for us to experience lazy eyes. This also occurs when light does not focus properly in one eye.
In amblyopia, vision loss or blurry vision occurs as the brain favors the eye with stronger vision and ignores the weaker ones. It is never too late to fix your lazy eyes with vision therapy.
It is scary when doctors say untreated strabismus or misaligned eyes can lead to permanent vision loss. There are four types of conditions, like,
Dr. Kalie McCartin says conversion excess is a visual condition when the brain miscalculates the spatial or light data eyes deliver to it. When we look at something placed close to our eyes, we converge our eyes together.
In such a visual condition, hypermetropia may be present, and you have this feeling as if you are "drunk" in space, says the doctor. Brain fog, poor eye tracking, slow reaction time, clumsiness, and poor reading comprehension can be additional symptoms.
In convergence excess, you should have a resting position that is slightly behind the target. But since the brain misguides with its calculations, strain results. The correct resting position in such a case becomes three prisms diopters behind the target.
When our eyes have difficulty crossing together at any distance, it's called convergence insufficiency. In modern-day practices, eye doctors rely more on a combination of syntonic phototherapy and traditional in-office vision therapy to treat the conditions of convergence insufficiency.
Vertical heterophoria (VH) is a type of binocular vision dysfunction (BVD) where one eye is slightly high or low in placement from the other, so images do not align on a vertical plane.
Patients with VH often experience heightened anxiety and a persistent sense of unease. The doctor recommends patients, as such, use glasses with customized aligning micro-prism lenses.
Vertical heterophoria can be something you're born with. So, we treat the subtle vertical eye misalignment with prescription microprism glasses to treat the condition and prevent it from progressing.
There is no hard and fast rule; it is about therapy, prism glasses, and a series of efforts to align your eyes to perceive images. A wrong treatment plan can make things worse, so find your own treatment plan that works best for you under expert advice from Vision Concern Clinic.
Pencil pushups are a way they say will improve your binoculars. These are a common exercise recommended to improve if you have an early stage of binocular vision.
Brock string exercise is another vision therapy technique with colored beads that helps to strengthen your eye muscles and coordination. It also helps you learn what to do and what not to do to shift focus between your eyes and still see clearly.
OnabotulinumtoxinA is a medication found effective in treating eyes with poor coordination. When one consumes it, anything that blocks nerve signals to muscles is removed. This neurotoxin should be taken under doctors' suggestion only for muscle relaxation and the most suitable treatment plan for BVD.
Prism glasses help with light manipulation and neuro-visual evaluation and benefit those with difficulty focusing and frequent headaches. Under the doctor's recommendation, when one starts to wear prism glasses, all the existing strain and visual disorientation start to improve.
Prism glasses change the direction of incoming light and cause images to align so that only one distinctive image is sent to our eyes. You don’t have to tilt your head, which means no back and shoulder pain.
Unless a doctor significantly looks for misalignment in regular eye checkups, it's hard for them to find out if patients have binocular vision dysfunction. Eyes may function correctly, but things get pretty sensitive. Sometimes, even the diagnosis is misleading, despite BVD being the culprit.
BVD can occur as a consequence of head trauma, stroke, or neurological issues. Although it disrupts the brain's ability to combine images from both eyes, it's important to note that BVD itself is not considered a neurological disorder.
BVD is tested at home with the 5-Minute Cover Test. First, you identify the symptoms that you like, like headaches, dizziness, nausea, and others, and scale them from 1 to 10. What is a more concerning symptom for you at the moment?
Individuals need to cover weaker eyes and then focus on a blank surface for 5 minutes only to see if their condition improves. A positive test result indicates you have a two-eye problem (BVD).
Yes, we provide emergency eye care for conditions like eye injuries, sudden vision loss, and infections. If you experience any urgent eye problems, please contact us immediately, and our team will assist you in getting the care you need.
Signs to watch for include blurry vision, floaters, sudden loss of vision, eye pain, redness, or sensitivity to light. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to schedule an eye exam at Vision Concern Eye Clinic as soon as possible for early diagnosis and treatment.
If you’re experiencing blurred vision, headaches, or eye strain, it may be a sign that you need glasses or contact lenses. Our eye exams will help determine whether you need corrective lenses. We’ll also discuss your options based on your lifestyle and preferences, including glasses, contacts, or even refractive surgery like LASIK.
