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Off-Balance? Klutzy? You Could Have Binocular Vision Dysfunction
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Off-Balance? Klutzy? You Could Have Binocular Vision Dysfunction

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To say that someone has a binocular vision dysfunction means that their eyes aren’t aligned correctly. Even a very small misalignment will result in eye strain and overworked muscles as the brain directs the eyes to correct the problem and work together as one again. Eventually the eye muscles get so stressed that the patient starts experiencing a myriad of frightening physical BVD symptoms. The two we’re going to talk about today are clumsiness and vertigo.

Off-balance? Klutzy? You Could Have Binocular Vision Dysfunction

The Klutz in the Family

It seems that everybody has at least one clumsy person in their family, someone that can be seen frequently walking into things, bumping into doorways and tripping over their own feet. While this may seem like a harmless and somewhat endearing characteristic, all it takes is one time tripping on the stairs or in the middle of the street for disaster to happen. As it turns out, many people who have always just assumed they are inherently clumsy may actually be suffering from vertical heterophoria (VH).

With vertical heterophoria, the eyes are misaligned, causing the images in one eye to appear higher than in the other. In some cases, one eye can be physically higher than the other as well. When the eyes aren’t at the same level, the visual system is disrupted, affecting the person’s stereo vision – the way that the separate images from each eye are combined into one single image. Faulty stereo vision is what causes people to have poor depth perception and trouble knowing where their bodies are in reference to the world around them. This results in tripping, running into things, and other clumsy behavior.

How Vertigo Leads to Anxiety

VH also interferes with the vestibular system, which can throw off a person’s delicate sense of balance. This can cause people to experience dizziness and vertigo, which is a sensation of tilting, swaying or spinning. They often feel thrown off-balance, like they’re being pulled to one side as they walk. Vertigo can be triggered by a sudden change to the position of the head, and can disappear as quickly as it came. The very unexpectedness of these episodes can lead to a great deal of anxiety, particularly in places with an abundance of bright lighting and visual stimulation, such as malls and supermarkets. A person may also experience vertigo when riding in a car due to the amount of visual stimulation on the sides.

Get a Binocular Vision Exam at Vision Specialists of Michigan

Due to a lack of proper equipment and training, the slight misalignments caused by VH are usually missed during regular eye exams. At Vision Specialists of Michigan, we have the specialized equipment necessary to properly diagnose VH, and also offer a new approach to the treatment of dizziness and vertigo through the use of aligning prismatic lenses. To find out more about this unique treatment method, call our specialists today 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.