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Motion Sickness & Driving: It Could Be Your Eyes
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Motion Sickness & Driving: It Could Be Your Eyes

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For those with a binocular vision disorder known as Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), driving can be a nightmare. Patients who suffer from BVD often complain of motion sickness or feeling dizzy while driving. Dr. Debby Feinberg affirmed these are two of the most common symptoms of the condition in a video she shared on the topic.  

 

How BVD Affects Driving

Patients who see Dr. Debby, including young children, often describe feelings of discomfort on a swing or a circular ride at the fair. They frequently feel discomfort in the car as well, especially riding in the back seat. BVD patients tend to feel better in the front seat but when they get to be adults, they often insist on being the driver, as this gives them a sense of control and helps them focus better. 

For some people, having BVD can make driving stressful, scary and dangerous, not only to the driver but to the passengers in the car and the other drivers on the road. When such patients are driving down the highway at high rates of speed, they often experience motion sickness and even dizziness. They don’t feel that they’re in control of their vision, which understandably makes them very anxious. Some people don’t even realize it’s their vision that’s causing the problem – they just start to get panicky and feel an urgent need to get off the road. 

While it’s enough for some to pull to the side of the road and take a deep breath, others feel so unsafe that they’re not even sure they can make it all the way home. Even after making it out of the car safely, it can take a couple hours to recover from these symptoms. 

What Causes Motion Sickness While Driving? 

When the eyes are synchronized, we can usually handle seeing images move in our peripheral vision. If our eyes are out of alignment even slightly, however, we start picking up those images in our peripheral vision, which is very disorienting and disrupts the ability to stay focused on the road. Many BVD patients say that they won’t drive on highways, nor do they take the interstate. Instead, they become familiar with the back roads so they can take a slower path to their destination that allows them to control the speed. 

When patients receive the right corrective treatment with aligning micro-prism lenses, along with having the support of compassionate doctors and specialists, they quickly begin to feel better as their symptoms go away. They are then able to get back in the car and once again drive on the faster roads – or do so for the first time. 

Get Help From Vision Specialists of Michigan

If driving on highways and interstates makes you feel sick, anxious and scared, you may have BVD. This means you need to have a NeuroVisual Examination performed by one of the experienced doctors at Vision Specialists of Michigan as soon as possible. Give us a call today at (248) 258-9000 to schedule an appointment and receive treatment for dizziness and motion sickness. You can also fill out our online BVD questionnaire.

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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.