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Are You Getting Enough Vitamin A? Why ths Vitamin Is So Important for Your Eyes

Your eyes may suffer if your diet is too low in vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency could affect your ability to see well at night and may even cause blindness in extreme cases.
 

The Role of Vitamin A in Vision

Vitamin A, found naturally in food, helps keep many of the body's systems functioning normally, including the immune and reproductive systems. This vitamin is essential for the health of your organs, is necessary for normal growth and development, and is crucial for good vision.

Vitamin A helps you maintain good vision by:

• Supporting Night Vision. Without vitamin A, it would be impossible to make rhodopsin, a substance required for good vision when it's dark or the lights are low. In fact, night blindness can occur if the rod cells in the retina don't have enough rhodopsin. The rods, along with the cone cells, are photoreceptor cells that absorb light. Rods are responsible for night vision, while the cones play an important role in color vision. Both of these photoreceptor cells are found in the retina, a layer of light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye.

• Keeping Your Eyes Moist. Dry eyes are more than just an uncomfortable inconvenience. Severe dry eye can cause sores on the cornea that scar as they heal, interfering with clear vision. Vitamin A moistens the surface of the eye, helping you avoid dry eyes. Tear quality improved in research study subjects with dry eye after taking vitamin A supplements, according to a study published in Clinical Ophthalmology.

• Preventing Blindness. Vitamin A moistens the entire eye, not just the cornea. Damage to the retina can occur if it becomes too dry due to vitamin A deficiency. Vision loss or blindness can occur as a result.

• Stopping Infections. The tear film in your eyes washes away germs that could cause eye infections. If your eyes are too dry, you may be more likely to develop an infection that could threaten your vision. Luckily, vitamin A lubricates the eyes and reduces your risk of infections.

• Treating Rare Eye Diseases. Vitamin A palmitate, an easily absorbable form of the vitamin, could slow the progression of retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, inherited disorder that affects peripheral (side) and night vision, notes the Foundation Fighting Blindness. A treatment made with a modified form of vitamin A also slowed retinal shrinkage in patients with Stargardt's disease during a clinical trial conducted by Alkeus Pharmaceuticals. Stargardt's disease, another rare, inherited eye disease, causes central vision loss. If you have either of these diseases or another eye disease, don't start taking vitamin A before first speaking to your optometrist
   

Do You Know How Much Vitamin A You Need?

According to the National Institutes of Health, adult males need 900 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A daily, while adult females need 700 mcgs. The recommended daily amount in children varies from 400 mcg at birth to 300 mcg from ages 1 to 3 to 600 mcg from ages 9 - 13. Teenagers need more vitamin A, as do pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Vitamin A, or substances called carotenoids that can be converted into vitamin A, are found in many foods, including:

• Fortified Milk and Cereal

• Liver

• Carrots

• Sweet Potatoes

• Spinach

• Squash

• Broccoli

• Eggs

• Milk

• Cheese

• Apricots

• Mangos

• Cantaloupe
   

Most people get all the vitamin A they need from their diet. If you aren't getting enough vitamin A, your doctor may recommend supplements. Although supplements can be helpful, they may cause health problems at high dosages. WebMD reports that too much vitamin A can cause headaches, confusion, vomiting, joint pain, dry skin, liver problems, birth defects, and bone density issues. Vitamin A may also interfere with some medications, like cancer drugs, birth control pills, and blood thinners.

Protect your eyes by eating foods high in vitamin A and scheduling yearly checks up with the optometrist. Call our office to make your appointment.
 

Sources:

Clinical Ophthalmology: Effects of Short-Term Oral Vitamin Supplementation on the Ocular Tear Film in Patients with Dry Eye, 4/10/2019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6462169/

Foundation Fighting Blindness: Encouraging Clinical Trial Results for Alkeus' Stargardt Disease Treatment, 5/2/2022

https://www.fightingblindness.org/research/alkeus-stargardt-trial-254

Foundation Fighting Blindness: What Everyone with a Retinal Disease Should Know About Vitamin A, 3/10/2015

https://www.fightingblindness.org/research/what-everyone-with-a-retinal-disease-should-know-about-vitamin-a-4148

National Institutes of Health: Vitamin A and Carotenoids, 8/12/2022

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Is Vitamin A Deficiency?, 5/2/2023

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/vitamin-deficiency

All About Vision: Eye Benefits of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene, 2/27/2019

https://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/vitamin_a.ht

Red, Irritated Eyes May Mean You Have Swimmer's Eye

Wondering why your eyes are sore and red after a day at the pool? A common condition called swimmer's eye may be to blame.
 

What Causes Swimmer's Eye?

Swimmers are often so eager to jump in the pool that they ignore signs asking them to shower first. In fact, 54 percent of Americans surveyed by the Water Quality & Health Council said that they don't shower before entering a pool.

Skipping the showers means that sweat, sunscreen, makeup, deodorant, and dirt mingle with chlorine creating chemical compounds called chloramines. Urinating or defecating in the pool also contributes to chloramine formation.

If you've ever noticed a strong chlorine smell when swimming, chloramines in the water were probably the reason. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that chloramines turn into gas when they come in contact with the air and create the strong odor.

Chloramines irritate the eye and cause a condition known as swimmer's eye. The problem happens when the chemicals interfere with the tear film that moisturizes and protects the eyes. Chloramines can also irritate the skin and trigger asthma attacks.

Swimmers eye may cause these symptoms:

• Sore Eyes

• Stinging Pain in the Eyes

• Red Eyes

• Dry Eyes

• Blurry Vision

• Sensitivity to Light

• Tearing

• Eye Discharge
   

Chlorine kills germs that can cause illnesses and infections. Unfortunately, when chloramines are present, chlorine isn't quite as effective. If you swim in a pool with chloramines, you may be more likely to develop conjunctivitis (pink eye) or other other infections. Conjunctivitis makes the eyes look red or pink and causes symptoms similar to swimmer's eye. Although swimmer's eye symptoms may get better in a few hours, conjunctivitis can last a week or longer.
 

Preventing Swimmer's Eye

You can reduce your risk of swimmer's eye by following these recommendations:

• Hit the Showers. Take a few minutes to use the showers at the pool before entering the pool. If the pool doesn't have showers, shower at home. All About Vision suggests showering for at least one minute.

• Don't Use the Pool as a Toilet. Check out the location of the restrooms when you arrive at the pool. Tell your children why it's a bad idea to pee in the pool and accompany them to the restroom as needed.

• Use Lubricating Eye Drops. Eye drops or artificial tears help reduce irritation caused by chloramines. Place them in your eyes before you enter the pool and when you're finished swimming.

• Try Compresses. Moist compresses can be helpful in reducing eye irritation and pain. Make a compress by wetting a washcloth with cool water. Wring out the washcloth until it's slightly damp. Put the compress over your eyes for five to 10 minutes at a time.

• Wear Goggles. Goggles prevent water from touching your eyes and help you avoid swimmer's eye symptoms.

• Clean Your Eyelids. Follow the American Academy of Ophthalmology's recommendation and splash clean water over your closed eyelids when you finish swimming to rinse away chlorine and other irritants.

• Hydrate. Your entire body needs plenty of water, including your eyes. Bring a bottle of water to the pool and sip it throughout the day to help keep your eyes moist.

• Don't Swim in Your Contacts. Wearing contact lenses may make it easier to find your way back to your towel, but contact lenses can trap germs that could cause infections. Remove your contacts before swimming, or ask your eye doctor about prescription swim goggles.

• See Your Optometrist if Symptoms Persist. Let your eye doctor know if your swimmer's eye symptoms last more than a day or two or if you have severe pain or discharge or notice a change in vision.
   

Are you struggling with swimmer's eye symptoms? Call our office to make an appointment with the optometrist.
 

Sources:

Water Quality & Health Council: Survey, 5/19/2020

https://waterandhealth.org/healthy-pools/survey-pool-owners-admit-they-pee-in-the-pool/

All About Vision: Is It Bad to Open Your Eyes in the Pool?, 1/10/2023

https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/swimmers-eye/

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What You Should Know About Swimming and Your Eyes, 8/16/2016

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/swimming-contacts-your-eyes

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Red Eyes and Swimming, 4/2/2022

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/rwi/chemical-irritants.html

The Benefits of Scleral Contact Lenses

Have you stopped wearing contact lenses because of dry eye, keratoconus, or another eye condition? Scleral contact lenses could make it possible to use contacts once again.
 

The Difference Between Scleral Contact Lenses and Other Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses and traditional rigid gas permeable contact lenses are designed to fit over your cornea, the clear tissue that covers your iris and pupil. These lenses rest on the cornea and correct poor vision due to hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), and astigmatism.

Scleral contact lenses are made of rigid gas permeable polymers and are larger than soft or traditional gas permeable lenses. Scleral lenses not only fit over the cornea, but also cover part of the sclera, the white part of your eye. These lenses help you see clearly if you're nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism.

The advantages of wearing scleral contact lenses include:

• Custom Fit. Soft and gas permeable lenses are available in a limited range of sizes. Scleral lenses are designed to fit your eyes' unique curvature and diameter, ensuring a better fit. The custom fit may make contact lenses an option even if you have a corneal disease or condition.

• Comfort. The sclera of the eyes is less sensitive than the cornea, which may make scleral lenses feel more comfortable. Specks of dust and dirt can work their way under soft or gas permeable lenses, causing discomfort and irritation. Scleral lenses provide a better seal that prevents irritants from becoming trapped under a lens.

• Clear Vision. Blurry vision may occur if your lenses slip and slide on your eyes. Scleral lenses are less likely to move, which keeps your vision sharp and clear.

• Increased Lubrication. Saline solution evaporates fairly quickly once you insert a traditional contact lens. As soon as the solution is gone, your eyes may feel itchy and irritated. The unique sealing ability of scleral lenses keeps the solution in place over your eyes and reduces dryness.
   

Are Scleral Contact Lenses a Good Choice for You?

In the past, eyeglasses were the only option if contact lenses were uncomfortable or didn't fit correctly. Today, scleral contact lenses offer an alternative solution if you have:

• Keratoconus. The fit of contact lenses can be an issue if you have keratoconus, a condition that makes the cornea cone-shaped instead of round. This irregular corneal shape prevents many people from comfortably wearing soft contact lenses. Since scleral contact lenses rest on the sclera rather than the cornea, irregularities in your cornea won't prevent you from wearing them. In a case series published in Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, researchers noted a remarkable improvement in vision sharpness when scleral contact lenses were worn by keratoconus patients rather than standard rigid gas permeable lenses or soft contact lenses.

• Other Diseases and Conditions. Scleral lenses may be helpful if you have corneal injuries or conditions that affect the eyes, such as Sjogren's Syndrome, severe astigmatism, graft-vs-host disease, or Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. According to EyeNet Magazine, scleral lenses may reduce scar formation in people who've had corneal injuries because the lenses never touch the corneas.

• Refractive Surgery. Although the majority of people who undergo laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery enjoy clear vision after their procedures, some still need to wear glasses or contact lenses. If soft or traditional gas permeable lenses aren't an option, your optometrist may recommend scleral lenses instead.

• Dry Eye. If you've decided to stop wearing contact lenses due to dry eye, scleral contact lenses could change your mind. Since the lenses are designed to keep the eyes moist, they're an excellent option for people who usually experience burning, redness, itching, tearing, blurry vision, and other dry eye symptoms when wearing contacts.

• Fit Issues. You don't have to have a corneal disease or condition to experience fit problems. Fortunately, scleral contact lenses offer another option if your lenses frequently slip or just don't feel comfortable. As the lenses are designed to fit you and only you, they may be much more comfortable than other contact lenses you've tried.
   

Wondering if scleral contact lenses are a good choice for you? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the eye doctor.
 

Sources:

NCBI: Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management: Effects of Scleral Contact Lenses for Keratoconus Management on Visual Quality and Intraocular Pressure, 1/25/2021

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7846850/

EyeNet Magazine: Update on Scleral Lenses, 11/2018

https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/update-on-scleral-lenses

All About Vision: Scleral GP Contact Lenses: How These Can Help You, 3/4/2019

https://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/scleral-lenses.htm

WebMD: What to Know About Scleral Contact Lenses, 6/16/2022

https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-to-know-about-scleral-contact-lenses

Can Colored Contacts Help with Your Vision?

Have you been thinking about changing your appearance with colored contact lenses? Although colored or tinted contacts are often used for their cosmetic benefits, the lenses can also offer vision benefits.
 

Using Colored Contact Lenses Improve Vision, Comfort, or Appearance

Adding a color or tint to contact lenses doesn't interfere with your vision. Your eye doctor may recommend colored or tinted lenses in the following situations:

• Glare Is a Problem. Does glare make it difficult to read or participate in outdoor activities? Contact lenses tinted yellow, blue, violet, green, or other colors decrease glare and improve contrast. The lenses can be helpful if you play sports. Thanks to your tinted lenses, you may notice that it's easier to follow a ball's path against the sky, or you might see objects or players more clearly on a sunny day. Your optometrist can recommend the best color for your lenses based on your needs. Tinted contact lenses may also be helpful if you have migraines triggered by bright light.

• Eyestrain Causes Blurry Vision. Blurry or double vision can be a problem if you spend hours reading or using digital devices. Eyestrain, a condition that causes sore eyes, headaches, and dry eye, has become increasingly common as more and more people use laptops, smartphones, and other digital devices. Wearing tinted colored lenses reduces glare and light sensitivity, two factors that contribute to eyestrain.

• Red-Green Color Blindness Makes It Difficult to Spot Color Differences. Red-green color blindness, the most common type of color vision deficiency, affects 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females of Northern European heritage, according to Medline Plus. Although colored contact lenses can't correct color blindness, wearing red-tinted lenses could make it a little easier to notice the contrast between colors.

• You Have Ocular Albinism. Ocular albinism occurs due to a deficiency of the melanin pigment that gives your irises their color. People with ocular albinism may have red, pink, or light blue irises, even though their skin may not be significantly lighter than normal. The condition affects visual acuity (sharpness) and may also cause depth perception issues, involuntary eye movements, optic nerve irregularities, and light sensitivity. Tinted contact lenses not only improve vision, but also decrease sensitivity to light and enhance the appearance of your irises.

• A Retinal Disease Causes Extreme Light Sensitivity. Diseases that affect the retina, the layer of light-sensing tissues at the back of the eye, can impair your vision and increase light sensitivity. Luckily, red-tinted contact lenses may decrease sensitivity while improving vision. In a research study published in Optometry and Vision Science, wearing red-tinted contacts reduced light sensitivity for all participants with retinal disease and improved visual acuity (sharpness) by one line for seven out of nine participants.

• You've Been Diagnosed with an Iris Condition. Your iris contains tiny muscles that allow your pupil to contract or expand to let more or less light into your eyes. Unfortunately, the muscles may not work so well if you were born with a condition that affects your irises or had an iris injury or surgery. Any type of iris condition or injury could increase your sensitivity to light or make your vision blurry. Colored contact lenses improve the problem by decreasing the amount of light that enters your eye and enhancing the sharpness of your vision.
   

Colored contact lenses can also be used to hide injuries or defects, such as a ruptured iris or scars on your eyes. When the lenses are used to hide defects, your eye doctor may recommend hand-painted or opaque lenses rather than tinted lenses.

Wondering if colored contacts could improve your vision? Contact our office to schedule a contact lens exam with the optometrist.
 

Sources:

PubMed: Optometry and Vision Science: Red-Tinted Contact Lenses May Improve Quality of Life in Retinal Diseases, 4/7/2016

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26657696/

MedlinePlus: Color Vision Deficiency, 1/1/2015

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/color-vision-deficiency/#frequency

Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses: Colored Contacts: More Than a Pretty Eye, 2/15/2020

https://www.reviewofcontactlenses.com/article/colored-contacts-more-than-a-pretty-eye

20/20: Therapeutic Contact Lenses and Beyond, 5/1/2018

https://www.2020mag.com/ce/therapeutic-contact-lenses-and-beyond-18DB8

Optometry Times: Relieve Migraines with Tinted Contact Lenses, 1/15/2020

https://www.optometrytimes.com/view/relieve-migraines-tinted-contact-lenses

Computer aided vision therapy consists of a software package designed to enhance eye tracking skills, visual thinking, processing skills and binocular vision skills. Eye teaming, focusing and tracking are not optical in nature, and problems in these areas are the result of poor eye muscles. Specialized software not only trains the eyes to work together, but strengthens the muscles that control their movement.

5 Ways Diabetic Retinopathy Could Affect Your Vision

Changes in your vision could mean you have diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that can cause vision loss or blindness. Anyone who has type 1 or type 2 diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy. The eye disease affects about 1/3 of American adults who have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is more likely to be a problem for Mexican Americans and African Americans. If you notice any of these signs, it's time to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.
 

Blurry Vision

Blurry vision can be a sign of diabetic retinopathy and should never be ignored. Your vision blurs when high blood sugar damages the blood vessels in the retina, the tissue at the back of the eye that transforms light rays into electrical impulses. The retina sends the impulses it produces to the brain for processing. If the retina can't do its job properly, the brain won't receive the information it needs to produce clear, sharp images.

Blood vessels in the retina weaken and leak blood or fluid if you have diabetic retinopathy. The blood or fluid pools in the retina, affecting the sharpness of your vision. In some cases, the fluid build-up causes swelling in the macula, the middle part of the retina that controls central and color vision. This condition, called macular edema, makes things look blurry or wavy and could be the reason that colors look faded.

Sometimes blood vessels in the retina close off and are replaced by abnormal vessels. These blood vessels leak fluid that can cloud your vision and may cause scars that result in permanent vision loss.
 

Changing Vision

Have you noticed that your vision only seems to be blurry sometimes? Blurriness can happen if the clear lens inside your eye swells when your blood sugar is too high. Although your vision returns to normal when your blood sugar level declines, blurry vision is always a cause for concern

Blurry vision, even if it only happens occasionally, may also be a sign of diabetic retinopathy. Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell exactly why your vision is blurry without a visit to the eye doctor.
 

Floaters

Floaters create shadows on your retina that look like floating cobwebs or wispy strings. The floaters form in the vitreous, a gel-like substance that gives your eye its round shape. Floaters develop when the vitreous shrinks slightly, causing strands of the vitreous to clump together.

Although floaters are a normal part of aging, a sudden increase in floaters can be a sign that you have diabetic retinopathy. If you've already been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, seeing more floaters could mean that your condition is worsening. An increase in floaters accompanied by flashing lights or loss of vision are symptoms of retinal detachment. This condition requires emergency treatment to prevent permanent vision loss.
 

Blind Spots

Blind or dark spots, even if they're small, can be signs of a vitreous hemorrhage. A hemorrhage happens when blood from the retinal blood vessels gets into the vitreous. Depending on the amount of blood, you may see floaters, dark or blank spots in your vision, or may be unable to see anything at all. It can take months for the vitreous to clear up. In some cases, surgery may be needed to replace the cloudy vitreous with a saline (salt) solution.

Blind spots can also be caused by angle-closure glaucoma. Abnormal blood vessels can block drainage channels in your iris, causing fluid to build up in your eye. The build-up increases pressure in the eye and can permanently damage the optic nerve without emergency treatment.
 

Poor Night Vision

Difficulty seeing well at night can also be a symptom of diabetic retinopathy. The growth of new blood vessels in the retina can affect rods, a type of photoreceptor cell in the retina. When they're functioning normally, rods make it easier to see in low light. In addition to problems with night vision, you may notice that it takes longer for your eyes to adjust when you move back and forth between dark and light areas.

Signs of diabetic retinopathy aren't always obvious at first. Fortunately, your optometrist can detect subtle changes in your eyes during regular exams and recommend treatments that will protect your vision. Get in touch with us if you've noticed any changes in your vision or it's time to schedule your eye exam.
 

Sources:

CDC: Diabetic Retinopathy

American Diabetes Association: Vision Loss and Diabetes

Mayo Clinic: Diabetic Retinopathy, 6/24/2021

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Diabetic Retinopathy: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, 9/14/2021

NCBI: Visual Neuroscience: Diabetic Photoreceptors: Mechanisms Underlying Changes in Structure and Function, 10/6/2020

Colored contact lenses allow you to temporarily change your eye color whether or not you need to correct impaired vision. In this way, you can create a more subtle eye appearance, wear a crazy design for special occasions, or just enjoy a new eye color.
 

Will Colored Contacts Change the Way I See?

Yes, but only if your colored contacts also contain a prescription to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Whether you have prescriptive lenses or cosmetic colored lenses, the center of the lens remains colorless to avoid affecting how you see. Only the part that covers your iris, or the colored part of your eye, contains color; that's what changes your visible eye color.
 

Will Colored Contacts Look Natural?

Yes, most colored contact lenses use lines, dots and other shapes to mimic the pattern of your iris.
 

What Kinds of Tints Are Available?

At your optometry clinic, you may choose from three types of tints:

• Visibility tint
  Your contact lens may have a light green or blue tint to help you see it better. This makes it easier to insert and remove your lens. It's easier to find, too, if you drop it. Visibility tints are so faint that they won't affect your vision or eye color.

• Enhancement tint
  This type of contact lens is slightly darker than a visibility tint and is designed to enhance your natural eye color. This type of tint works well for people who want a more intense eye color.

• Opaque tint
  This contact lens can give you a completely new eye color. People with dark eyes usually need an opaque tint to alter the color of their eyes.
   

What Colors Are Available?

The most commonly selected colors are green, blue, hazel, violet, amethyst, gray and brown. Theatrical contact lenses can create special effects for movies and costumes to make you look like a vampire or alien. However, theatrical contact lenses are still a medical device—they should never be shared with anyone.

If you're thinking about color contact lenses, your eye care provider can help you select the right type of colored contacts depending on your eye color, quality of vision and desired appearance.

Parents are often aware of the need to screen children for nearsightedness or farsightedness, but fewer know about other pediatric vision problems. Ocular motor dysfunction is a condition that often manifests in childhood, although adults may also have this disorder. Because ocular motor dysfunction causes serious disruption of everyday abilities such as reading, it is important to receive a comprehensive eye exam to test for this condition.

What Is Ocular Motor Dysfunction?

Six muscles control the movement of the human eye. These tiny muscles work together to allow the eyeball to move up, down, left, and right. In most people, the brain signals the muscles to move the eyes without our conscious awareness. For people with ocular motor dysfunction, however, the eyes do not work together properly to contribute to smooth, fluid eye movements.

There are several movements necessary for proper eye function. Smooth pursuits involve following a moving object accurately. Saccades are often used when reading or tracking information; they appear as the eyes jumping back and forth very quickly. Additionally, the eyes must be able to move inward and outward to change the point of focus. Disruption in the effectiveness of eye muscle activity may significantly impair everyday abilities, resulting in the following symptoms:

• Losing one’s place or omitting words when reading

• Difficulty smoothly tracking or following moving objects

• Academic difficulties

• Difficulty sustaining attention on a task

• Poor coordination

• Vertigo

• Nausea and motion sickness
   

If your child exhibits any of these signs, it’s important to schedule a comprehensive eye exam promptly to diagnose ocular motor dysfunction or rule out alternative explanations.

Diagnosis of Ocular Motor Dysfunction

An optometrist can diagnose ocular motor dysfunction by conducting a variety of tests. Your eye doctor may ask you to visually follow an object while keeping your head still. This allows the doctor to identify tracking difficulties. The doctor will also look for reduced accuracy of saccades (the quick back-and-forth eye movements), inability to follow objects in a particular sequence, and need to move the head or follow a finger to follow along on a page.

Treatment for Ocular Motor Dysfunction

Your eye muscles are just like other muscles in your body; exercising them can help them perform better. As a result, vision therapy is one of the best treatments for ocular motor dysfunction. Vision therapy allows you to practice new skills to strengthen eye muscles’ ability to work together effectively.

Simply put, accommodative dysfunction means that the eyes have difficulty focusing properly. Studies suggest that between 2 and 17% of children may suffer from accommodative dysfunction. The nature of this disorder means that it sometimes goes unnoticed in standard vision screenings conducted at school. Thus, it is important that parents schedule a comprehensive eye exam for children, particularly if an issue with focusing is suspected.

What Is Accommodative Dysfunction?

In kids with normal vision, each eye functions independently, while the brain ties visual information to create a cohesive visual image. The brain directs eye movements, allowing a person to focus on nearby objects as well as those that are far away. These calculations are done subconsciously, meaning that it requires no effort to switch from near vision to distance vision.

For people with accommodative dysfunction, however, the eyes and visual system do not work together appropriately. Particularly when trying to look at nearby objects, the eyes do not focus properly. A variety of symptoms may result, including:

• Blurring of nearby objects

• Visual discomfort, such as soreness or strained eyes

• Headaches (often in the front or sides of the head)

• Sensitivity to glare

• Dizziness

• Difficulty sustaining attention on nearby objects, such as during reading

• Rapid fatigue

• Moving work closer or farther away, or tilting the head to improve focus
   

Having accommodative dysfunction makes it difficult and unpleasant to do close-up tasks such as reading. As a result, some children are incorrectly diagnosed with a learning disability.
 

Diagnostic Procedures

An optometrist can conduct a comprehensive eye exam to diagnose accommodative dysfunction and rule out other possible explanations for symptoms. After taking a thorough patient history, your eye doctor will test visual acuity and the performance of your eye muscles in controlling the eyes. You may be asked to follow a small object with your eyes, view objects through a prism, or perform other eye tests.

Treatment for Accommodative Dysfunction

Using reading glasses for close work is a common way to correct focusing problems. However, vision therapy is typically necessary to retrain the eyes to work well together. Vision therapy includes in-office appointments as well as at-home exercises. The purpose of this therapy is to improve the speed and accuracy of a typical focusing response, making the eyes used to working together to focus on nearby objects.

The human visual system is a complex network including the eye, ocular nerves, and key brain areas that process visual information. Under most circumstances, we use information from both eyes to create a single visual image. This ability to converge information from both eyes is called binocular vision. In some cases, the eyes fail to seamlessly meld visual information into a coherent image. An eye care provider can assess vision to determine if there are problems with binocular vision that require further care.
 

How Does Binocular Vision Work?

Unlike some other animals, humans’ eyes are both set on the front of the face, permitting binocular vision. Each eye has a field of view, which is the area that you can see when you close one eye. The center of the eyes’ fields of view overlap with one another, although visual information in the periphery can only be detected by one eye. This information is transmitted to an area of the brain in the back of the head, which synthesizes the overlapping visual information to make a single coordinated image.
 

Binocular Vision and Depth Perception

One of the reasons that binocular vision is so important is that it allows us to perceive depth and relationships between objects. Each eye sees slightly different spatial information and transmits these differences to the brain. The brain then uses the discrepancies between the two eyes to judge distance and depth. The result is the ability to see a 3-D image and distinguish the relationships between objects. Depth perception is technically called stereopsis or stereoscopic vision.
 

Causes of Binocular Vision Problems

If the eyes can no longer maintain their correct position or focus on the same object, the result is problems with binocular vision. In cases of strabismus, or cross-eye, the eyes are not properly aligned, with one is drifting from its normal position. Strabismus causes the brain to have difficulty synthesizing visual images from each eye, resulting in impaired binocular vision and depth perception. Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is another condition that causes binocular vision problems. Amblyopia occurs when the brain ignores input from one eye, affecting depth perception and other visual abilities.

Fortunately, most problems with binocular vision are easily treated through eyeglasses, vision therapy, or surgery. Receiving a thorough annual optometry exam -- especially during childhood when the visual system continues to develop -- is essential to detect these eye problems. Your eye care provider can recommend treatment options that correct or manage problems with binocular vision.