What is binocular diplopia?
Another condition we treat in our office is binocular diplopia. Binocular diplopia, also known as double vision, refers to the condition when both eyes are unable to focus on a single object. While one eye focuses on the object, the other may search for a different target causing the brain to accept two non-matching images and thus, double vision. Eventually, the brain will reject one image in order to help you see only one image, but can cause blindness in the one eye over time if left untreated.

Ways to contact our team for our vision therapy services
We believe that it is of the utmost importance that we maintain an open line of communication with our prospective, new, and current patients. As the local vision therapy company, we take great pride in providing our services to the local community on a daily basis. Amblyopia is a serious condition that should be treated as soon as possible. Our team is comprised of professionals that are always prepared to assist you as soon as possible.

Myopia Information
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the inability to see objects at a distance clearly. Myopia usually develops in childhood and may progress into the early adult years. Risk factors for the development of myopia include a family history of nearsightedness, visual stress from close work, or using a computer.

Nearsightedness in Adults
Nearsightedness that develops in adulthood is more likely to be the result of visual stress and may be related to eye focusing or eye coordination problems. For example, the visual stress caused by hours of daily reading and/or close work required by higher education, professional schools, or certain occupations can induce nearsightedness in some adults.

Nearsightedness in Children
Nearsighted children often are not aware that they are not seeing as well as they should. They think that everyone sees the world just as they do. Vision problems may not become evident until they begin to have difficulty seeing the board in school or do poorly in sports.

Good Visual Habits Can Prevent or Reduce Nearsightedness
Good visual hygiene, including reading with good posture, using good lighting, and taking frequent short breaks during reading or any other close activity, are considered to be helpful in preventing or reducing the progression of myopia, particularly in children.

Treatment of Nearsightedness
Treatment of myopia generally includes the use of prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to restore clear distance vision. In some cases, with either children or adults, special single focus or bifocal lenses are recommended to help reduce visual stress from close activities and prevent or slow the progression of nearsightedness. In some cases, problems with eye focusing, eye coordination, or visual function can contribute to the development or progression of nearsightedness. In such cases, a program of Vision Therapy can be used to slow the progression or reduce the severity of nearsightedness. Vision Therapy is used to treat both children and adults. For adults, a number of laser and other surgical procedures are also available to reduce reliance on eyeglasses or contact lenses.

It might help if you look at myopia as a SYMPTOM of the vision problem, rather than as the problem itself.

The visual system has made an adaptation based on how it is being used. Your daughter has placed so much interest in working at near-point that her eyes have become specialized for this function.

The question is not whether you can treat the myopia directly, but whether you can prevent or minimize progression by helping your daughter learn how to be flexible. This is flexibility in focusing and relaxing focus, flexibility in converging and diverging the eyes, and flexibility to work with both the focusing and eye-teaming systems in tandem.

Your goal should not be to reduce the myopia (although some degree of prescription reduction is common). You are looking to support your daughter to change the cycle which is causing myopia progression.

There is a strong correlation between parents having myopia and their children developing myopia. But this may not be purely genetic! It may be from habits, which are learned (often from our parents), AND from personality traits which impact how we function. These traits may also be inherited (like tenacity!). So, identifying a HEREDITARY COMPONENT does not mean that her genes have been encoded to make her myopic no matter what. There is always a FUNCTIONAL COMPONENT as well.

Behavioral/developmental optometrists prescribe glasses for near-point (perhaps bifocals) and may prescribe activities to improve flexibility of vision function in order to stabilize and support the visual system at the problem area. The problem is visual dysfunction at near-point. The symptom is myopia (near-sightedness). If the problem is addressed, the progression of myopia will come under control. In some cases, the patient may even learn to function with a lower prescription.

In studies which do show a very positive impact from the prescription of bifocals in reducing myopia progression, the greatest effect is found in those who have ACCOMMODATIVE EXCESS (spasm) and ESOPHORIA at near-point. This implies that your daughter is among those with a strong FUNCTIONAL COMPONENT… therefore, highly remediable!

I would recommend finding a behavioral/developmental optometrist who can assess whether it is a good idea to try therapy now, or to just monitor closely with some glasses prescription changing, and initiate therapy if they are showing progression.