Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD) is a complicated eye condition where the eyes are misaligned, sending two different images to the brain. The brain and eye muscles struggle to merge these two different images into one clear image, causing symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, anxiety, motion sickness, and chronic neck pain.
The symptoms of BVD are wide-ranging and not often recognized by doctors who have not been trained. BVD requires specialized testing and is often not found by a traditional eye exam.
BVD can be congenital, or can be caused by facial asymmetry, concussion or head injury, such as from a soccer game or a car accident. Some research suggests that at least 20% of adults experience some symptoms of BVD that may be interfering with their everyday lives. Someone you know may be suffering from binocular vision dysfunction and not even realize it. Exactly why some people develop symptoms from BVD and others don’t often isn’t clear.
Early research has found that BVD can be genetically inherited and run in families, most often from mother to daughter. 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).
When your eyes are misaligned, your eyes are sending two different images to the brain which it has trouble merging. When the brain receives conflicting information from each eye, it strains the eye muscles to try and correct the misalignment – this causes the symptoms of BVD. A small percentage of patients with BVD have diplopia (or double vision) but most patients do not see double, yet they suffer from symptoms like migraines, dizziness, car sickness, and light sensitivity.
Prism lenses are used to align the two images being sent to your brain, allowing the brain to see a correctly aligned image. This reduces eye muscle strain, therefore reducing or eliminating symptoms.
Prism is ground into lenses of your glasses with your regular prescription and doesn’t look any different than a normal pair of glasses, but they can relieve significant BVD symptoms.
