Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD)

Physical Findings:

• Neck pain and/or shoulder and back pain
• Drifting or unsteadiness when walking
• Head tilt
• Clumsy, bumping into doorways and people they are walking next to
• Prone to falling or tripping

Neurological Symptoms:

• Migraines; daily headaches
• Migraine associated vertigo (MAV) or vestibular migraine (VM)

Anxiety Symptoms:

• Overwhelm or panic in crowded areas or on highways
• Anxiety in big box stores or grocery stores
• Agoraphobia (extreme fear of open or crowded places, or of leaving one's own home)

Reading Challenges:

• Rereading for comprehension
• Skipping lines when reading
• Letters running together
• Uses finger-pointing when reading
• Fatigue with reading
• Difficulty focusing or paying attention
• Struggling to pay attention in school

Driving Symptoms:

• Anxiety on the highway
• Car sickness or nausea
• Motion sensitivity while in a car
• Trouble driving at night

Binocular Vision Symptoms:

• Double vision
• Poor depth perception or judging distances
• Trouble catching balls
• Difficulties with hand-eye coordination
• Poor handwriting & drawing skills
• Poor eye contact
• Covering one eye to clear the image

What causes BVD?

The condition can be caused by facial asymmetry, or it can be caused by a concussion or head injury. Some research suggests that at least 20% of adults experience some symptoms of BVD that may be interfering with their everyday lives.

Early research has found that BVD can be genetically inherited and run in families. In other clinical research, there is a direct correlation between head injury or concussion and the onset of BVD symptoms. There is also a connection between BVD and acquired brain injuries caused by a stroke, Lyme disease, COVID-19, and Mono (Mononucleosis).

How is Binocular Vision Dysfunction Diagnosed?

Dr. Les Alsterlund has been trained by the NeuroVisual Medicine Institute, in the advanced work of diagnosing and treating Binocular Vision Dysfunction with specialized microprism lenses. In addition to the standard eye examination, Dr. Les does a two-hour NeuroVisual Exam to uncover the patient’s misalignment and to determine the appropriate individualized prism Rx. These prism lenses align the two images sent to the brain, providing one clear, comfortable image. This relieves the extra stress to the vision system that is causing the majority of BVD symptoms.

Overlapping Conditions

BVD symptoms are often mistaken for several other conditions because there are many overlapping symptoms, like pieces of a puzzle. Most medical and eye doctors don’t know how to screen for and diagnose BVD. Patients are regularly told they have one of these other conditions, meanwhile in reality BVD might be the primary cause of their symptoms

Treating BVD with Aligning Microprism Lenses

BVD treats eye misalignment by prescribing specialized microprism lenses. They bend light in such a way that the misaligned images are once again realigned. Once this occurs, the eye muscles no longer have to strain, providing significant relief from headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and all other symptoms. Patients often report feeling noticeably better immediately when trying on their microprism prescription.

Microprism glasses provide patients with life-changing relief. But just an FYI wearing prisms can feel different than glasses you might already wear. It can take several days to acclimate to your new prism glasses, as your body has compensated for your visual misalignment for a long while. When you first begin wearing prism glasses, your body will undergo a process of change we call Progressive Relaxation. Your BVD symptoms will start to subside, the feeling might take some getting used to as you adapt.

We tell patients that ‘the first prism prescription may not be the final prism prescription’ because as your body and eyes relax, the prism Rx may need to be adjusted. After wearing your prisms for approximately 4 weeks, some symptoms might return which tells us you are ready for a Progress Assessment. During progress assessments, the prism Rx is fine-tuned to meet the needs of your adjusting vision system and continue improving the symptoms of your BVD. You will reclaim areas of your life you thought you had lost.

How do you know if you have Binocular Vision Dysfunction?

Headaches and Dizziness are two of the most common symptoms of BVD, along with balance Issues and anxiety. It’s very common to hear people talk about their trouble driving or in being in large crowded places. If daily life has become debilitating, take a moment to take the BVD test and find your answer.

Take The Test