Question 1

i have tired eyes from mild convergence insufficiency. are there other options beside expensive in office therapy or shady looking websites?

Accepted Answer

Exercises or glasses: Convergence excises such as near point focussing performed several times daily can strengthen your convergence , your other choice would be reading glasses with weak prisms to alleviate symptoms  they would be prescription and not over the counter.

Question 2

i've been diagnosed with convergence insufficiency by a neuro-optometrist i saw recently. i'm on the waiting list to do vision therapy in-office but i've been assigned home exercises to do until my next appointment. is this a part of neuroplasticity?

Accepted Answer

: Don't know, try the recommended exercises

Question 3

convergence insufficiency after prk?

Accepted Answer

Latent muscle proble: This sounds like something present but hidden prior to the surgery. I have never heard of refractory surgeries causing muscle imbalances.

Question 4

doctor says that my nine year old has convergence insufficiency and should go for vision therapy instead of prism in her glasses.  agree?

Accepted Answer

Get another opinion.: I will make a guess that the doctor who said that is an optometrist and not an ophthalmologist.  Many well designed research studies have proven that vision therapy is not effective (and it's usually expensive).  Please take your child to an ophthalmologist -- if there is an eye muscle imbalance, they can explain what treatments WILL be effective.

Question 5

very disoriented / sleepy when i'm looking at ipad for over 10 minutes and it's especially bad when taking notes and switching my focus from a near to far object. got diagnosis of mild convergence insufficiency; do symptoms match? no vision issues?

Accepted Answer

: Highly likely that you do  have visual issues, and to address this, it is best to enlist a neuro-ophthalmologist, and an optometrist with experience in compensating for non-synchronous visual challenges.  It is possible that a reading eyeglass with progressive lenses and perhaps prisms, may solve most of your problems, but get this fully assessed first.

Question 6

can convergence insufficiency be the cause of my daughter's nystagmus? it only presents when looking near and all her tests have came back normal.

Accepted Answer

No: Convergence insufficiency is a common cause of visual complaints such as the following list on a standard screening questionnaire.

* one eye drifts or aims in a different direction than the other (this can be subtle). This is significant even if it only occurs when tired or stressed.
* turns or tilts head to see
* head is frequently tilted to one side or one shoulder is noticeably higher
* squinting or closing or covering of one eye
* excessive blinking or squinting
* short attention span
* daydreaming at school/work
* poor handwriting
* poor visual/motor skills (often called "hand-eye coordination")
* problems moving in space, frequently bumps into things or drops things
* clumsiness

While reading or doing close work:
* holds the book or object unusually close
* closes one eye or covers eye with hand
* twists or tilts head toward book or object so as to favor one eye
* frequently loses place and fatigues easily
* uses finger to read
* rubs eyes during or after short periods of reading
* reversals when reading (i.e., "was" for "saw", "on" for "no", etc.)
* reversals when writing (b for d, p for q, etc.)
* omitting small words
* confusing small words
* transposition of letters and numbers (12 for 21, etc.)
* loss of place when reading, line to line and word to word.
* child's ability to learn verbally surpasses his ability to learn visually.

Frequent complains of:
* only being able to read for short periods of time
* headaches or eyestrain
* nausea or dizziness
* motion sickness
* DOUBLE VISION!
It is not a cause of nystagmus.  If your daughter has true nystagmus she should have an examination by an ophthalmologist to determine the cause.  One can have both conditions but the CI does not cause nystagmus.

Question 7

i am a 20 year old college student who might have convergence insufficiency (ci). can this be considered a learning disability?

Accepted Answer

Not an L.D.: Convergence insufficiency is a benign weakness of the left and right medial rectus muscles, which can be strengthened with simple convergence exercises called pencil push-ups  (google it). The added reading load of college is the culprit, and can often be remedied with exercises, better task lighting, and if necessary, spectacle correction. Learning disabilities are issues of brain processing.

Question 8

can eye exercises help with esophoria?

Accepted Answer

Helps even more with: exophoria to train the eyes to see or pull together to see straight when you have intermittent exophoria.  Need to find degree of esophoria you have before entertaining eye exercises. Check with your eye specialist.

Question 9

can eye exercises improve the eye sight?

Accepted Answer

No: Eye exercises can make the eyes feel more comfortable, and might have some effect on eye misalignment, but they will not change the basic eye power needs for eyeglasses or contacts.

Question 10

could eye exercises help vision correction?

Accepted Answer

No evidence: This has  been a long standing hope of those who wear glasses that something simple like eye exercise can improve vision.  There is no evidence that this will work.  Don't spend any money on such programs.

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Doctor answers about:

Eye exercises for convergence insufficiency

A member asked:

I have tired eyes from mild convergence insufficiency. are there other options beside expensive in office therapy or shady looking websites?

A member asked:

I've been diagnosed with convergence insufficiency by a neuro-optometrist i saw recently. i'm on the waiting list to do vision therapy in-office but i've been assigned home exercises to do until my next appointment. is this a part of neuroplasticity?

A member asked:

Convergence insufficiency after prk?

A member asked:

Doctor says that my nine year old has convergence insufficiency and should go for vision therapy instead of prism in her glasses. agree?

A member asked:

Very disoriented / sleepy when i'm looking at ipad for over 10 minutes and it's especially bad when taking notes and switching my focus from a near to far object. got diagnosis of mild convergence insufficiency; do symptoms match? no vision issues?

A member asked:

Can convergence insufficiency be the cause of my daughter's nystagmus? it only presents when looking near and all her tests have came back normal.

A member asked:

I am a 20 year old college student who might have convergence insufficiency (ci). can this be considered a learning disability?

A member asked:

Can eye exercises help with esophoria?

A member asked:

Can eye exercises improve the eye sight?

A member asked:

Could eye exercises help vision correction?

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