About Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD) In Austin, TX

Our vision is very sensitive to changes in the environment, lighting conditions, and even bodily changes that can lead to eye allergies, dry eye, and other symptoms.

While in most cases, simply changing your diet or visiting an eye doctor can treat these symptoms, some patients suffer from a more complicated condition — a misalignment with their eyes. Human beings see their world through binocular vision, rather than monovision, where our eyes team up to process the world.

The information collected from your eyes is sent to the brain for processing. Unfortunately, a failure in this process can lead to binocular vision dysfunction.

Our NeuroVisual Optometrist Can Help With:

Fatigue
Blurry Vision
Double Vision
Sense of Imbalance

Headaches & Migraines
Dizzy While Driving & Dizzy Spells
Inability to Focus

What is binocular vision disorder? (BVD) | Austin, TX

Optometrists refer to binocular vision dysfunction as BVD, which is a visual condition where the line of sight from one eye is out of alignment with the line of sight of the other eye. This misalignment of the eyes can be vertical, horizontal, or at an angle in nature. Some optometrists label this issue under vertical or horizontal heterophoria. Heterophoria is a technical term that refers to a deviation of the eyes’ natural resting position. Meaning, when your eyes are relaxed, they should face forward. If they face different directions, then you have a visual heterophoria.

What are symptoms from binocular vision dysfunction?

Your eyes constantly receive input from light, translate the light into signals, and send the information to the brain. A slight misalignment interferes with sending these signals to the brain. This forces the eyes to work harder at correcting the error, which adds eye strain.

Often, blurry vision, double vision, and a sense of imbalance can develop. Further, these symptoms will worsen over time as the heavy eye strain builds, where some patients develop painful headaches or migraines, dizzy spells, dizzy while driving, and an inability to focus even over short periods of time.

What causes a loss of binocular vision?

While only a handful of eye doctors have specialized in neuro-visual optometry, the latest studies associate many of the most common visual disorders under binocular vision dysfunction. Often, the loss of binocular vision can start in childhood, yet the symptoms may only become noticeable at a later point in time. Patients who suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or Post Concussive Syndrome, symptoms are typically noticeable right away.

Since binocular vision dysfunction results from a misalignment of the eyes, there is no clear indicator at what point symptoms may occur. The severity of symptoms can depend on how one’s eyes & brain work as a team and/or outside factors that can add to the stress. For example, students entering competitive universities may suddenly notice symptoms as they place abnormal stress on their eyes and concentration.

In addition, eye misalignment can be so minimal and unnoticeable by the naked eye that many patients go undiagnosed, or even misdiagnosed, for years. Even though Dr. Jennifer Catalasan and Dr. Kevin Soong have the expertise to diagnose and treat BVD, few eye doctors have the skills to detect BVD.

Children & BVD

How can I know if my child has BVD?

Although many children develop their coordination and focusing skills in their younger years, school-age children can still show signs that they have difficulty with their vision. Parents may notice reading and learning problems, yet binocular vision dysfunction can be as simple as an inability to pour liquids directly into a cup, catching a moving fastball, how fast do they go up and down the stairs, or have poor depth perception.

Double Vision & Brain Injury

Double Vision (Diplopia)

Double Vision (Diplopia) And Brain Injury

Diplopia, or, “double-vision” is a very common result of a brain injury. Prisms and special lenses can be used to help the patient achieve fusion (alignment of the eyes) and alleviate the diplopia. If and when these means are not employed, the patient may be able to adapt by suppressing the vision of one eye to eliminate the diplopia. If lenses, prisms, and/or a course of Vision Therapy are not successfully undertaken and applied, the result is often what’s called intractable diplopia.

In this population of patients, patching has frequently been used to eliminate the diplopia. Although patching is effective in eliminating diplopia it causes the patient to become monocular. Monocular vision, as opposed to binocular vision, will affect the individual primarily in two ways; absence of stereopsis and reduction of the peripheral field of vision. These limitations will directly cause problems in eye-hand coordination, depth judgments, orientation, balance, mobility, and activities of daily living such as playing sports, driving, climbing stairs, crossing the street, threading a needle etc.

Visual Balance Disorders

Visual balance disorders are conditions where the patient feels dizzy or unsteady. Often, it feels as if the sufferer or the world is spinning or moving even while lying down. Visual balance disorders can be caused by viruses, ear infections, and problems with visual processing. It’s also a frequent problem with patients who have suffered a brain injury. Lenses, prisms, and visual rehabilitation activities are highly effective at treating visual balance conditions.

What is it like to have binocular vision dysfunction?

For a simple test, close one eye. Then, hold two pencils and try to have the edges or tips touch each other. When most people attempt this trick with both eyes open, the task is not so hard. However, when you only use one eye, this simple task becomes a lot more challenging.

Whenever a person has been binocular vision dysfunction, they will have poor judgment of depth perception making these types of tasks difficult to perform.

Serving Patients From:

Austin | Cedar Park | Round Rock | Georgetown | Hutto | Kyle | Leander | Pflugerville | San Marcos and the state of TX

Anxiety from Vertical Heterophoria or Superior Oblique Palsy
Dizzy While Driving
Binocular Vision Dysfunction in Children

Many children experience binocular vision dysfunction as their vision develops. Some kids continue to struggle with the condition and generally need expert guidance and treatment to finally achieve normal vision.