All key organs of your body are wired to your brain. Of these connections, the one that exists between your brain and eyes is quite an intricate thing. Without the coordination of your eyes and brain, you cannot view things clearly. When they do not function in unison, you can develop a few visual problems. There are conditions wherein each of your eyes may start seeing differently. In this milieu, it works to have details about an ocular condition called binocular vision dysfunction.
Alignment of both the eyes with your brain is a key thing for trouble-free vision. You need to know images captured from your left eye and right eye need to sync-up. If they do not, your eyesight develops problems. Your brain gets taxed to make meaning of different images your eyes transmit. One of the reasons is the difference in the ability to focus on objects.
What is binocular vision dysfunction?
A single clear image is created with the help of binocular vision that enables both your eyes to coordinate and function as ‘one’. This process makes way to spatial awareness with accuracy. It also lets you perceive depth of imageries in front of you. When binocular this vision is impaired, you may develop Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD). This results when your eyes are misaligned and not having the same focus on object(s) lying ahead. Each eye sends a different image – i.e., different what the other eye sends to your brain.
BVD is of several kind; common among them are listed here. Insufficiency of convergence – this makes it hard to focus on things closer to you; also, your eyes develop difficulties in functioning as one. Excessive convergence – one of your eyes may turn more inwards than your other eye. Excessive divergence – this is where one of your eyes turns outwardly. Lazy eyes (also called amblyopia) – one of your eyes turns lazy i.e., moving outward or inward while the other eye is normal.
Strabismus – when your eyes i.e. crossed eyes are not in-sync. You have the Exotropia and Esotropia. When your eyes’ vision diverges, it results in a crossed vision. This condition is Exotropia. On the contrary, when your eyes cross to converge, it is a slightly similar medical condition termed as Esotropia.
How do I know about binocular vision dysfunction?
Symptoms of BVD Include blurring of eyesight, doubling of vision, hardships faced while shifting focus from far to closer objects, straining of eye muscles, soreness or pain in eyes, hypersensitive to sun’s rays, etc.
You may also encounter faint-colors or shadows while reading, watery discharge from eyes; need to blink excessively, etc. A few related symptoms are feeling dizzy, spells of migraines / headache, nighttime glares, instability while walking, etc. In addition, you may also experience difficulties in staying focused, fatigue while viewing screens of computer or television, and lapses in concentration.
What causes BVD?
Factors contributing to BVD are misalignment of eyes, refractive error, imbalances in eye-muscles, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – to name some.
Misalignment of eyes can prevent your eyes from coordinating and working in sync with each together. Facial asymmetry also causes binocular vision dysfunction. What happens here is any one of your eyes, your left eye or the right eye turns larger.
Nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, etc. are the result of refractive errors. This could directly result in blurring or vision distortion. These can contribute to BVD if eyestrain and difficulties in eye-teaming are ignored.
Traumatic Brain Injury – in short, TBI - is when your optical nerves are disrupted. The purpose of your optical nerves is to maintain a well-timed coordination of your eyes. Other risk factors include individuals with congenital eye conditions.
Can binocular vision dysfunction cause loss of my eyesight?
Vision loss may not directly occur due to the condition binocular vision dysfunction. However, a slow buts steady impairment of eye health is inevitable with BVD. BVD more likely causes blurring of vision and doubling of eyesight. You may also develop difficulties in perceiving depth of substances you see. All these can make it tougher to view objects nearer or farther to you.
Other visual problems BVD gives way to are strained eye muscles, lenses as well as difficulties with reading.
Treatment for binocular vision dysfunction
This condition does not have a complete cure. Only treatment helps manage the condition. Treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms and improving coordination of eyes and make them sync-up.
One of the treatments offered is prism lenses – these help correct misalignment issues by altering the way light enters your eyes. These lenses also make it easier for your brain to fuse images. To improve your eye muscles, you can opt for vision therapy. It completely offers exercises specifically designed for this purpose. This treatment also betters communications between your brain and both eyes.
Eyeglasses - You can go for eyeglasses; this is one of the most common courses of treatment. A certified optometrist or ophthalmologist must issue a valid prescription for you to produce at the center where you get your eyeglasses. Wearing proper eyeglasses can help restore your eyesight from problems like doubling or blurring.
Eye drops for allergies cannot treat binocular vision dysfunction. Allergy drops help reduce itching, redness, and watering caused by allergens, but BVD is a problem with how the eyes work together. People with BVD usually need vision therapy, special glasses, or prism lenses. If symptoms like headaches or double vision continue, an eye specialist should evaluate both conditions.
Eye patch is worn on top of your active eye. Such patches can strengthen your weaker eye. However, you may need to wear them strictly as per the timeline prescribed by a qualified eye specialist.
The type and symptom of binocular vision dysfunction may not be the same for all. Hence, an exclusive evaluation is needed to treat your eye condition – especially, conditions like binocular vision dysfunction. Beware of the need to opt for ongoing management – in case of a few individuals – in order to maintain visual health.
As a good practice, routine check-ups with your ophthalmologist can be an eye-opener in detecting eye disorders in a timely manner. In order to know more about BVD – talk to your eye doctor. You can also refer to renowned .org / .gov sites to understand more about this eye condition, its symptoms, treatment approaches and duration needed to get remedial outcomes.