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Do You Have Dizziness While Driving?

Driving down the highway and feeling suddenly overwhelmed with dizziness is scary. Over time, you start to dread getting behind the wheel. Dizziness while driving makes it extremely difficult to drive, causing some to avoid highways or quit driving altogether.

But there is good news - Treatment is available. At Vision Specialists of Michigan, we are the experts and pioneers at treating dizziness while driving and eliminating your discomfort. Our first step in treatment is to identify specifically what is causing your dizziness and any other symptoms you might be experiencing.

Get Help for Your Dizziness While Driving

vertical heterophoria

Do You Have Dizziness While Driving?

Driving down the highway and feeling suddenly overwhelmed with dizziness is scary. Over time, you start to dread getting behind the wheel. Dizziness while driving makes it extremely difficult to drive, causing some to avoid highways or quit driving altogether.

But there is good news - Treatment is available. At Vision Specialists of Michigan, we are the experts and pioneers at treating dizziness while driving and eliminating your discomfort. Our first step in treatment is to identify specifically what is causing your dizziness and any other symptoms you might be experiencing.

Get Help for Your Dizziness While Driving

vertical heterophoria
Home Icon / Blog / Driving, Dizziness & Vertical Heterophoria: When Driving Is Scary

Driving, Dizziness & Vertical Heterophoria: When Driving Is Scary

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Vertical Heterophoria: How It Affects You

Dizziness, lightheadedness, balance problems, anxiety, migraines – if these have become symptoms you know all too well, you might suffer from Vertical Heterophoria (VH), a Binocular Vision Dysfunction caused by a very small misalignment of your eyes. But dizziness while driving might not be your only symptom. Other symptoms can include:

  • Carsickness
  • Sensitivity to bright lights & glare, such as headlights, traffic lights, street lamps and signage
  • Disorientation
  • Blurred vision
  • Double vision
  • Problems with depth perception
  • The feeling that things in your peripheral vision are moving when they really aren’t
  • Dizziness when riding as a passenger, particularly in the back seat

binocular vision dysfunction
binocular vision dysfunction

What Causes Vertical Heterophoria?

It is the rare person who has the right and left the side of their face looking identical – almost everyone has asymmetry. This means that one eye is higher than the other (obvious in a few, but almost imperceptible in most others), and sees an image slightly higher than the other eye. Your brain does not tolerate this misalignment and forces the eye muscles to realign the eyes so that one clear image is formed. Unfortunately, this ends up putting a lot of strain on your eyes, causing them to become overworked and fatigued, leading to symptoms that can disrupt your life.

IT MIGHT BE YOUR EYES.


How is Vertical Heterophoria & Your Dizziness While Driving Treated?

People with Vertical Heterophoria are often incorrectly treated for migraines or vertigo, rather than the actual issue of vision misalignment. Many people end up living for years with discomfort, not knowing what is causing their dizziness while driving all because they never took the test to get help.

When your vision is misaligned, specialized realigning eyeglasses need to be prescribed to provide treatment and relief. There’s no need to have dizziness while driving. Let’s get you back on the road and back to feeling safe and comfortable.

Vision Specialists of Michigan
Vision Specialists of Michigan

Get Relief for Your Dizziness While Driving

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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.