858-433-4060
Justine Simon Bailey OD INC
at the Optometric Vision Development Center
Vision Therapy
What is an Eye Teaming Problem?
Eye teaming problems occur when someone has a difficult time keeping both eyes aimed at the same point. This causes them to expend excessive energy and concentration to maintain visual attention on printed material. As the eyes tire or fatigue, the “eye teaming” skills break down and the eyes end up aiming at the wrong place. Not all children with eye teaming problems see double. Many frequently stop reading when their eyes become tired before seeing two.
The most common eye teaming problem is called a Convergence Insufficiency, which is an anomaly that is characterized by an inability to adequately converge or sustain convergence for visual tasks at near.
Eye Teaming/
Convergence Insufficiency
Eye Teaming/
Convergence Insufficiency
What are the symptoms of Eye Teaming Problems?
The most common symptoms of an eye teaming problems are blurred or double print, eye strain, depth perception problems, headaches, avoidance of near tasks, inaccurate eye-hand coordination, abnormal posture, and motion sickness.
More than twenty million people in the U.S. suffer from a convergence insufficiency due to the inability to coordinate the eyes while performing work close to the face (e.g., reading or working on the computer). Difficulty arises from a failure to provide relevant or correct information to the brain which can manifest as inefficiency and inaccuracies while reading.
If you have concerns that you/your child may have an eye teaming problem, please fill out the Convergence Insufficiency Symptoms Survey (in the FORMS tab) to help determine if a Visual Skills Evaluation is needed for you/your child. A score of 16 or higher for children, or 21 or higher for adults, warrants an evaluation from a developmental optometrist.
How are Eye Teaming Problems treated with Optometric Vision Therapy?
An optometric vision therapy program for eye teaming problems helps train the eyes to work together as a team at all distances in a dynamic visual environment. Our goal is to enhance eye teaming flexibility along with eye focusing skills and integrate with other sensory skills and visual processing. Our program is designed to improve the patient’s visual conditions, eliminate visual symptoms, and enhance visual skills so that one may more fully benefit from their academic learning environment. Eyeglasses or contact lenses may boost the effects of vision therapy if prescribed by the doctor. Vision therapy makes use of lenses, prisms, filters, and other specialized equipment during the treatment program. The length of the program can range from several weeks to several months, depending on the severity of the diagnosis and patient compliance.