Convergence Insufficiency Exercises

[maria9499]

My daughter, (7yrs old) was diagnosed with this after suddenly not being able to read close up and telling us she has double vision. We went through many tests to be assured it wasn't something else, and at this point 2 dr's and an MRI have led us back to this original diagnosis.

 

I know many here suggest Vision Therapy, our Dr has said he is not a believer but at the same time agrees exercises work and gave us a few to start with to see if it helps. My daughter unfortunately does not converge well at all, it was double all by the time we found out.

 

We were given dot exercises but my daughter can't do them as she unfortunately does not converge well at all, it was double all by the time we found out. So the dr. suggested just dot on wall from a distance where she can see single..this was pretty far back.

 

After a week of that she's actually gotten a bit better and can see single from about 5 ft now and can get up to (the wall) a few inches after the exercises. However with the dot exercises at nose level, she still cannot see single...even when pulled back quite a ways.

 

I guess I'm looking for suggestions from those who have gone through this. Should I just continue and hope eventually it builds up to the dot excercises which I hear are more effective?

 

The dr. just said to come back in a couple months, I'm really hoping to do what we can this summer when there is no school so we can at least assess how much she can recover.

 

Thank you.

[Spryte]

I would just call a developmental optometrist who does vision therapy and get another opinion.

 

Treating CI was more complex than a few exercises and it was tailored to DS's needs. Each week we had 4-5 different exercises to do daily, and those changed depending on where he was in treatment. Some exercises that other kids did - DS didn't do at all. Some he did longer, shorter. And during his weekly two hour sessions - he did entirely different things.

 

It was a lot of work. And expensive, too. But worth every moment, and every penny.

[Spryte]

She may need prism glasses for school work or other times, until this is better, also.

 

FWIW, I need VT myself, but until we allocate funds for it - I use my prism glasses for driving and anything requiring sustained attention, or I get double vision.

[ElizabethB]

Here is how to fnd a good eye doctor that specializes in vision therapy that will work with you over the summer and individualize the exercises:

 

http://locate.covd.org

Edited May 19, 2016 by ElizabethB

[bettyandbob]

Is the doctor to whom you refer an opthamologist?

 

Developmental Optometrists and sports Optometrists are the experts in the field of vision therapy. I have found American MDs don't pay attention to vision therapy and don't bother to understand the benefits. I have a friend who is an MD in Sweden specializing in Opthalmology. Vision Therapy is pretty standard there.

 

When my ds was discovered to have convergence problems i did a lot of research. The MD approach was surgery that didn't have the level of success I wanted. I decided to go with VT first. I always like the less invasive route.

 

If you decide to try VT, you need to find someone who specializes in it and get reviews.

[OneStepAtATime]

The others are spot on.  

 

FWIW, there are a lot of doctors that poo poo vision therapy.  Why?  Well, several reasons.  1.  It is based on newer information/studies so older doctors may not be open to the newer research.  2.  There are a lot of quack "vision therapists" out there, which in turn means that eye doctors with with real training and background knowledge in this area get a bad wrap.  3.  It is a challenging specialty that most eye doctors do not go through the training to achieve.  4.  Ophthalmologists are medical doctors and tend to want to leap at this issue from a medically invasive point of view or to ignore developmental vision issues altogether.   I am sure there are other reasons as well.  However, there is a growing body of evidence that for many types of developmental vision issues properly done VT can be a life changer.  

As mentioned above, I would go to a COVD listed on the COVD website and get a second opinion. 

 

http://www.covd.org/

[displace]

Convergence insufficiency is one of the few diagnoses that has proven to benefit from vision therapy. Some insurances cover it, the American academy of pediatrics and I think American ophthalmology association both recommend VT for CI. Find a COVD and call your health medical insurance benefit dept. There are vision therapy medical type textbooks you can buy on Amazon to find exercises for CI, but a professional is much better.

[maria9499]

Thank you, I guess my plan was to follow these exercises for a few months per our Dr's recommendation and then pursue VT for the summer if we don't see results...and at least DD doesn't have school in the summer. Our doctor is an ophthalmologist (pediatric one) and supposedly one of the best in the field out of Weill Cornell. That said I agree he is very medically/scientifically minded and stated he does not believe in therapy but this is the only case he suggests exercises first as he's seen it work. I specifically mentioned VT and he said what he's seen of it, it's a bunch of activities that aren't focused on convergence except for a handful which are the same ones he suggests (his words). He also says no prism glasses at this point, that it can close the door on "repair" which is our first hope.

 

But...I keep hearing and reading from so many that it's what works. I'll see if I can find one in my area, from what I'm gathering here this is not  just a few exercises we can do at home.

[Tammi K]

My daughter and I both had the problem. I had several months of vision therapy as a teen and she had prism lenses for 2 years when she was 9-11.  We both did well with the treatments we had. 

 

I wouldn't get discouraged if your daughter makes slow progress. It was very difficult for me. By the time I was diagnosed, I had constant double vision. But, it did get better over time and with practice. 

 

Prism lenses gave almost immediate improvement to my daughter but she needed them for several years to maintain the correction. 

 

I agree that a visit to a developmental ophthalmologist would be great if you can do it.