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When New Glasses Aren’t Enough to Relieve Eye Strain
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When New Glasses Aren’t Enough to Relieve Eye Strain

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While yearly eye exams are essential to ensuring eye health and acuity, sometimes a new prescription isn’t enough to take care of problems such as eye strain and dizzysensations and blurred vision. While eye strain can be the result of activities that require a lot of focused, concentrated near tasks such as reading, writing or prolonged computer use, it can also be an indicator of a more serious condition known as Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD).

When New Glasses Aren’t Enough to Relieve Eye Strain

Symptoms of BVD

Patients with BVD have a slight eye misalignment which makes it difficult for their eyes to work together as a team. This misalignment makes it challenging for the brain to merge the two images into one focused image and blurred, shadowed or double vision is often the result. This makes it extremely difficult to focus and concentrate. It can make a person feel dizzy while driving, making driving and other everyday activities uncomfortable and even scary – which can then lead to anxiety. These individuals can find it hard to do something as basic as meeting another person’s eyes, and trying to follow the hand gestures and body movements of other people is often dizzying.

Why BVD Is Often Missed

Unfortunately, just as new glasses don’t automatically correct all vision problems, standard eye exams don’t automatically catch all eye conditions. Most eye doctors don’t have the appropriate training or equipment to detect and diagnose BVD. Those who suffer from the condition often end up dealing with headaches and dizziness, and various other vision-related problems, for months or even years due to the simple fact that they haven’t been properly diagnosed and treated.

Do any of the BVD symptoms we’ve related sound familiar to you? If so, take a moment to fill out our BVD questionnaire. If it indicates that you’re likely to have the condition, you can then schedule a comprehensive NeuroVisual Exam with a doctor at Vision Specialists of Michigan. If BVD is taking over your life, call us today at (248) 258-9000 to find out how our micro-prism lenses can help you get it back!

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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.