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Understanding the Symptoms of Binocular Vision Dysfunction
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Understanding the Symptoms of Binocular Vision Dysfunction

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If you get your eyes examined every year and stay up-to-date with the prescription for your contacts or eyeglasses, chances are you think your eyes are doing just fine. While they very well may be, having a standard eye exam performed once a year doesn’t tell you everything about the overall health and functionality of your eyes.

If you have a visual problem such as Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), there’s a good likelihood the typical eye exam will not pinpoint it. BVD occurs as the result of a vision misalignment. Those with the condition can experience a variety of troubling symptoms, including becoming dizzy while driving, headaches and migraines, and anxiety in large, open buildings with tall ceilings. To help you understand exactly what having Binocular Vision Dysfunction entails, Vision Specialists of Michigan is here to break it down for you.

Balance-Related Symptoms

Balance is controlled by the vestibular system, the visual system and the proprioceptive system, and BVD is disruptive to the visual system. Trouble with balance causes a variety of symptoms to arise, including dizziness, lightheadedness, disorientation and trouble walking, nausea and motion sickness. These symptoms vary in duration and intensity, and are frequently triggered by the following:

  • Standing up too quickly
  • Nodding your head or shaking it side-to-side
  • Riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle
  • Driving around bends in the road
  • Driving down the freeway with cars zipping past

Symptoms Affecting Sleep

When the images your eyes see are misaligned, the brain forces the eye muscles to work overtime to correct the issue. Unfortunately, even with your eyes closed, your eyes still see some imagery, as your eyelids only block part of the light. Not only will this result in all the symptoms of BVD, it can make it difficult for you to obtain restful sleep. Using a sleeping mask to ensure a complete absence of light is a solution to this problem.

Double Vision Symptoms

Blurred, shadowed or overlapping vision can also be early signs of double vision and BVD. Patients experiencing double vision symptoms often complain of extreme sensitivity to light and sensitivity to glare off reflective surfaces. They also tend to close or cover one eye to make it easier to focus on visual tasks.

Reading Problems & Learning Disabilities

Did you know that BVD may affect up to 50% of children that’ve been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, as well as problems with reading and other learning difficulties? It’s for this reason that it’s so essential for children to be tested for BVD, as even the slightest misalignment can cause vision problems. Some of the specific ways fatigued eye muscles hinder reading and learning include the following:

  • Words blur together when reading.
  • You frequently skip lines or lose your place while reading.
  • Words move or swim around on the page, or the letters shimmer or vibrate.
  • Concentrating becomes more difficult.

Head, Shoulder & Neck Symptoms

Headaches and migraines are some of the most common symptoms of BVD, and can manifest in extreme pressure on the crown of the head, pulsing temples and a throbbing forehead. Frequent, persistent headaches like these are often experienced by people with BVD resulting from Post-Concussive Syndrome. Other symptoms that can occur in the area of the head, neck and shoulders include pain in the sinuses or jaw area, and neck and shoulder pain resulting from head tilt (a mechanism the body employs to try to correct the vision misalignment).

Our team here at Vision Specialists of Michigan has been diagnosing and treating binocular vision dysfunction for over 25 years, and there’s no better place to receive specialized treatment for BVD. To find out for sure if you or a loved one has this condition and learn about the micro-prism lenses we use to treat it, all you have to do is fill out our online questionnaire. This will help our doctors determine if BVD is the likely cause of your symptoms, after which you can schedule an appointment for a comprehensive NeuroVisual Evaluation by giving us a call at (248) 258-9000.

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Dr. Sandy DiPonio earned her optometry degree from Illinois College of Optometry in 1996. She is a highly skilled and experienced eye care professional dedicated to giving her patients of all ages excellent and compassionate care. She has a wide variety of experience in binocular vision, pediatric and adult eye care, ocular disease and contact lens fitting. She strives to provide each of her patients the best quality of life they can achieve with their vision through knowledge and education of treatment options.

Dr. DiPonio is a member of the American Optometric Society and Michigan Optometric Society.

Dr. Sally Hoey has been practicing optometry since graduating from Michigan College of Optometry in 2001. During her time in optometry school, she developed an interest in binocular vision, culminating in a senior thesis involving binocular vision.

Prior to joining Vision Specialists of Michigan, Dr. Hoey specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-related learning problems as well as other binocular vision disorders. Her other areas of interest include specialty contact lens fittings and treating dry eye. Dr. Hoey strives to provide her patients with clear, comfortable vision while meeting their individual needs at the same time.

Dr. Hoey had the opportunity to provide eye care on an optometric mission trip to Guyana, South America and vision screenings at a local medical clinic. She is a member of the American Optometric Association, Michigan Optometric Association, Metropolitan Detroit Optometric Society and the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

Dr. Jennifer Place graduated with honors from Michigan College of Optometry in 2001.

Before joining Vision Specialists of Michigan, she specialized in treating pediatric and adult patients with binocular vision disorders and vision-related learning problems, as well as fitting specialty contact lenses and managing various types of ocular disease. She enjoys working with patients with unique visual needs, and she takes great pride in providing all patients with highly customized care.

Dr. Place has volunteered for Opening Eyes, a program that provides eye exams to the athletes of the Michigan Special Olympics, and she participated in an international mission to St. Lucia to provide eye care to those in need. Dr. Place is a member of the Detroit Optometric Society, the Michigan Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the College of Vision Development, and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation.

Dr. Mary Jo Ference has been practicing optometry since 1990 upon graduating from Ferris State University- Michigan College of Optometry, and is certified in Low Vision Rehabilitation. She has worked at Sinai-Grace Hospital systems for over 20 years before joining Vision Specialists of Michigan in 2013 to work with binocular vision disorders. Her clinical areas of expertise include visual rehabilitation of pediatric and adult patients who have suffered from brain trauma, injury or disease. She has taught both optometry and ophthalmology residents at Sinai Grace Hospital. Dr. Ference has sat on numerous boards, including Sinai Grace Hospital, Berry Out-Patient Surgical Center, and Seedlings Braille Books for the Blind. She is actively involved in area school districts to provide education, training and access for students, teachers, OT’s and PT’s to eye care service rehabilitation information. Dr. Ference has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.

Dr. Debby Feinberg began practicing Optometry in Oakland County in 1983, upon graduating from Illinois College of Optometry. She joined her father, Dr. Paul C. Feinberg, at Mall Optical Center, which was located in Summit Place Mall.

Since 1995 Dr. Feinberg has been developing the field of NeuroVisual Medicine which is the optometric subspecialty that identifies and treats neurological / medical symptoms that originate directly or indirectly in the visual system.

Dr. Feinberg has been performing pioneering work with Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), a condition where a vision misalignment (frequently subtle) creates difficulties with the two eyes working together to create a single 3-dimensional image, and difficulties with the two eyes following that image as it moves.

The symptoms caused by BVD are not usually associated with problems with the visual system, and include headache, dizziness, anxiety and panic, persistent post-concussive symptoms, gait instability and balance problems, frequent falls, neck pain, motion sickness, nausea, and reading and learning problems.

In 2004. Dr. Feinberg established Vision Specialists of Birmingham, specifically designing the practice to accommodate the needs of the NeuroVisual Medicine patient.

In 2011, the office moved to its current location in Bloomfield Hills and updated its name to Vision Specialists of Michigan.