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Children And Bvd



With all the information available online, you may be quick to believe your child has a serious medical condition or learning disability. Before rushing to conclusions, however, let an expert assess the situation. After all, it may just be their eyes.

YOUR CHILD MIGHT HAVE BINOCULAR VISION DYSFUNCTION (BVD)

Children suffering from BVD have a small amount of visual impairment not found on routine eye exams. This can be the result of something they are born with (congenital) or an injury sustained from activities such as sports or bike rides. The amount and severity of symptoms are different for each child; but for some, it severely impacts their quality of life, causing many restrictions on what they can do.

Common Behaviors and Symptoms for Children with BVD:

Ages 4-8 years old

  • Dysgraphia - AKA poor handwriting, this may come in the form of spacing, writing letters too big or small, etc.
  • Difficulty reading – This may look like reading books close to their face, having trouble seeing classroom boards, having a balanced study stream, etc.
  • Avoiding activities – Children who experience social anxiety in public places or consistently do not want to play with their friends may need to see a vision specialist.
  • Spatial awareness and depth perception – This may involve playing with toys very close to their face, sitting close to the TV, frequently bumping into objects, difficulty catching balls, frequent squinting to see, etc.
  • Difficulty identifying shapes, colors, and numbers that are age-appropriate
  • Stomach aches and headaches at school or away from home
  • Light sensitivity
  • Covering one eye to see

Ages 9-13 years old

  • Spatial awareness and depth perception – This may involve playing with toys very close to their face, sitting close to the TV, frequently bumping into objects, difficulty catching balls, frequent squinting to see, etc.
  • Trouble in school - Having difficulty completing homework due to headaches and nausea, repeatedly reading the same things over and over, difficulty with reading comprehension, verbal skills that are ahead of reading skills, etc.
  • Photosensitivity – AKA sensitivity to bright lights, this could look like closing one eye to make it easier to see, blurred vision when using the computer, frequent blinking, etc.
  • Blurred vision or tired eyes when looking at the blackboard in class, etc.

14 years and older

  • Having a “headache routine” – any headaches that occur more often than usual, are more severe than usual, or don’t improve with the appropriate use of over-the-counter medications should be investigated by a doctor or vision specialist.
  • Difficulty reading and learning
  • Problems focusing at school and  home
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Anxiety
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Difficulty with balance / unsteady walking
  • Pain in the neck
  • Frequent head tilt
  • Motion sickness

A PEDIATRIC EYE DOCTOR AT VSofM COULD CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

Watch our Patients Tell Their Stories

How VSofM can help with reading problems:

Riley's Story

Trouble with Reading at School:

Avi's Story

Is This How Everyone Else Sees?

David's Story



Many children have BVD and don’t know it

BVD may affect up to 50% of children diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, Reading Problems, and Learning Disabilities

Before BVD Exam

Before BVD Exam

After her Exam, with her new aligning lenses

After her Exam, with her new aligning lenses

WHAT IF YOUR CHILD THINKS THIS IS NORMAL?

Meet RuthAnn

Seven-year old RuthAnn was having difficulty reading and paying attention in school. When she visited Vision Specialists of Michigan, she was asked to draw a picture of her doctor prior to her exam (image on left). Ruth has Binocular Vision Dysfunction and was able to receive help from our NeuroVisual Specialists. After her exam, RuthAnn drew the picture on the right of her doctor while wearing her new prescription.

I’m Ready to Gift My Child Clear Vision

Our Patients and their Parents Say it Best

Chris’ Concussion

“Chris hit his head when he fell off of his bike two years ago and hasn’t been the same since. He had been getting headaches frequently, and was nauseous a lot. He was clumsy and uncoordinated. He used to be a good reader, but after his concussion he read slowly and had trouble concentrating, which made homework a struggle for him. In spite of all of his hard work, his grades had fallen. The new glasses with the aligning lenses prescribed by his doctor have made an unbelievable difference in all of these problems!”

Father of Chris, 9 years old

Jessica’s Headaches

“My daughter had headaches so bad she missed a lot of school. Some days all she could do was to lie in a dark room and sleep. Her pediatrician and neurologist tried a number of medications, but nothing really seemed to work. CAT scans, MRI’s and all of the other tests didn’t find the problem, but the doctors at Vision Specialists did. She has subtle eye misalignment, and her new glasses with specialized aligning lenses corrected it. Now Jessica rarely has bad headaches and almost never misses school.”

Mother of Jessica, 13 years old

Sammy’s Trouble Focusing

“I’ve had trouble sitting still in school since first grade. I’ve been told I have ADD/ADHD and a ‘learning disability’. Medications and other treatments really don’t seem to help much. Before I started using my new glasses with the specialized lenses , I had difficulty concentrating, and reading was hard for me to do. I was a very slow reader – I had to read the same paragraph two or three times to understand it. My teachers thought I was lazy because I seemed smarter than my test scores.”

hello world

Sammy, 17 years old

Chris’ Concussion

“Chris hit his head when he fell off of his bike two years ago and hasn’t been the same since. He had been getting headaches frequently, and was nauseous a lot. He was clumsy and uncoordinated. He used to be a good reader, but after his concussion he read slowly and had trouble concentrating, which made homework a struggle for him. In spite of all of his hard work, his grades had fallen. The new glasses with the aligning lenses prescribed by his doctor have made an unbelievable difference in all of these problems!”

Father of Chris, 9 years old

Jessica’s Headaches

“My daughter had headaches so bad she missed a lot of school. Some days all she could do was to lie in a dark room and sleep. Her pediatrician and neurologist tried a number of medications, but nothing really seemed to work. CAT scans, MRI’s and all of the other tests didn’t find the problem, but the doctors at Vision Specialists did. She has subtle eye misalignment, and her new glasses with specialized aligning lenses corrected it. Now Jessica rarely has bad headaches and almost never misses school.”

Mother of Jessica, 13 years old

Sammy’s Trouble Focusing

“I’ve had trouble sitting still in school since first grade. I’ve been told I have ADD/ADHD and a ‘learning disability’. Medications and other treatments really don’t seem to help much. Before I started using my new glasses with the specialized lenses , I had difficulty concentrating, and reading was hard for me to do. I was a very slow reader – I had to read the same paragraph two or three times to understand it. My teachers thought I was lazy because I seemed smarter than my test scores.”

hello world

Sammy, 17 years old
LET US HELP YOUR CHILD

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Want to learn more about Binocular Vision Dysfunction?

Watch these videos of BVD patient experiences:

https://youtu.be/Z69NSaKK6zU

Child with Binocular Vision Dysfunction Finds Balance with Glasses

https://youtu.be/auLrPQqf-AM

5 Minute Cover Test for Binocular Vision Dysfunction

https://youtu.be/T0DlXCB5XDo

Professional Colleagues Discuss Binocular Vision Dysfunction

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It may be your eyes
  • American Academy Optometry
  • American Optometric Association
  • Michigan Optometric Association
  • VEDA
  • Neuro Optometry Rehabilitation Association
Take The Test

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.