My son was recently diagnosed with an eye condition called convergence insufficiency. TJ's
eyes do not work well together for the length of time required for schoolwork. As he struggles to aim both eyes at the page, the print tends to move, blur or go double. It is not surprising that TJ sometimes struggles in class.
This is a condition that my wife and I had never heard of before. As far as I know, there are not too many
optometrists who are qualified to diagnose it and most don't even try. Just because a child's eyes are 20/20 doesn't mean they are working well together and able to focus correctly.
I've told a few people about TJ's problem and the first question they usually ask is, "How did you know?" I didn't know, my wife noticed a list of symptoms that when put together are leading indicators that a child has convergence insufficiency. These include, but are not limited to
- Rubs one eye when reading
- Headaches
- Reverses letters & numbers
- Mistakes words with similar beginnings
- Can't recognize the same word repeated on the page
- Sloppy writing
- Poor gross motor abilities
Children with convergence insufficiency do not magically outgrow this condition.
Eye glasses are not the solution to this
vision problem.
Vision therapy is needed to train TJ to gain control of his eye coordination and build his visual skills. This will help him succeed in school.
Last week, TJ had his first session of vision therapy. The therapist said it would take a few weeks before he started to show some improvement. I'll be back to write more as he progresses.
