If your child has been diagnosed with convergence insufficiency, or you suspect it, you may be hearing the term for the first time. It's one of the most common eye teaming problems in children, and one of the most often missed.
What convergence means
When you look at something up close, like a book or a phone, your eyes turn slightly inward so both aim at the same spot. That inward turn is called convergence.
With convergence insufficiency (CI), the eyes have trouble turning in and staying turned in. They tend to drift outward, especially as reading goes on. The brain has to work much harder to keep the two images lined up as one.
Common signs in children
Headaches or eye strain during or after reading
Words that blur, double, or seem to move on the page
Losing place or rereading lines
Trouble concentrating on reading or homework
Getting sleepy or tired while reading
Avoiding reading and close work
Covering or closing one eye to read
The symptoms usually get worse the longer a child reads, and later in the day.
Why it gets missed
Children with CI often see 20/20 on an eye chart, so they pass school screenings and routine exams. Many don't complain, because they assume everyone's eyes feel this way. Instead, the problem shows up as "not liking reading" or trouble focusing on schoolwork.
How it's diagnosed
A binocular vision evaluation measures how close your child can bring their eyes together (near point of convergence), how well they can hold that position, and how their eyes perform during sustained close work.
How it's treated
The best-studied treatment is office-based vision therapy with practice at home. In a large National Eye Institute-funded trial, it outperformed home-only exercises and placebo therapy for children with CI.
Schedule an evaluation in Clermont
Hope Vision Development Center specializes in binocular vision evaluations and vision therapy for convergence insufficiency. Our In-Office Training program is an approved Florida Empowerment Scholarship (FES-UA) service through Step Up For Students.
Call 352-243-4673 or email pcc@hopevdc.com to schedule. We're at 235 Citrus Tower Blvd., Suite 107, Clermont, FL.