CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY – EXOPHORIA

When reading or looking at an object about 40 cm from the nose, the eye muscles are responsible for relaxing or contracting in order to see the object clearly and sharply. This action requires some muscular effort from both eyes. Sometimes, one eye is not able to make this effort and work together with the other eye to see the object well. This defect is called convergence insufficiency. Convergence is the work done by both eyes toward the nose to focus on the near object. This convergence deficiency can occur in one eye or in both eyes.

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This deficiency is measured in diopters. Usually, convergence insufficiency or exophoria that are small, that means have a low value, do not usually cause any symptoms in the child or adult.

However, when the insufficiency has a high value, it can cause symptoms:

• High deviation of the eye when the other eye is covered. If there is a deviation that can be seen with the naked eye without the need to cover one eye, then it is a tropia or strabismus and this may or may not generate double vision.

• Headache: due to the effort that the eyes must make to keep the near object sharp and well focused and not to deviate an eye and make both eyes work equally.

• Lack of concentration: especially in children when reading or looking closely.

• Blurred near vision: children have a tendency to make movements with their eyes or head to try to see well. For this reason, it is very important to monitor and pay close attention to the child’s habits in order to diagnose the problem.

The treatment of this visual impairment is:

Visual therapy: these are a set of exercises that the child should do with an optometrist in consultation and helped with guidelines at home. They can be done even if the value of the deficiency is low as a preventive treatment, because if it is not treated it can Symptoms may be exaggerated.

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Surgery: in cases where there is double vision and the deviation has a high value. If it is possible to treat with patching and therapy, it will always be the first option. This treatment can also be done for aesthetic reasons.

 

 

•  It is very important to keep track of vision in children, as they may be doing a lot of visual effort to try to see well and not communicate anything to parents. As soon as symptoms are detected, an optometrist should be consulted to rule out possible visual defects and follow the approp
• riate treatment guidelines or refer to an ophthalmologist.