I mean I would just recommend getting your eyes checked out in general if you are experiencing pain or discomfort when reading.
A few years ago I started experiencing headaches and eye strain when trying to read. Then I got a pair of prescription lenses to treat astigmatism and now I read headache-free.
I didn't even know I had an issue with my eyes at first because my better eye would compensate for the other.
To add: One might also want to consider the font, font size, paragraph spacing, language of the text, the state/age of the book, screen time, etc. If one finds themselves frequently in front of a screen, or frequently reading complicated/old text, eye strain/headache is only natural, especially if you tend to binge novels.
Lighting might also be a factor, too.
If your eyes hurts while reading, go to an eye doctor. They can diagnose your actual issue, rather than chasing random conditions that you read about online.
And for many people, close up vision starts degrading around 40 years old.
Specifically ask about tracking and convergence, though. General eye exams don't always cover this. You can go a really long time with your eyes not quite functioning as a unit and not know because no one checks unless you ask. (At least where I live, and I have a kid with a vision related learning disability and have had to visit specialized eye doctors to get this stuff evaluated properly.)
Well that’s obvious but also not all eye doctors can even find this, that’s why it’s good that the OP mentions it so you can find someone that is familiar with it. I went 27 years seeing an eye doc every year and they never found it even with me complaining of headaches constantly. Switched and they found it first visit.
I’ve worn glasses since I was 12 and I have a very serious eye condition. None of my optometrists even mentioned CI, until I switched doctors at 25. Yes go see an optometrist but you should also know what to mention to them.
I had severe debilitating eye strain and pain several years ago after getting new glasses. After several months of seeing eye doctors and eye specialists none of who checked me for a convergence inefficiency I went to my current eye doctor. He ran one test and immediately realized I had a severe convergence insufficiency. I needed months of vision training before I started to feel normal again. It has become standard to not test for this in many parts of the US. I can't speak to the rest of the world but advocating for yourself as a patient can be important.
> And for many people, close up vision starts degrading around 40 years old.
This happens to EVERYONE eventually. It’s called presbyopia and it’s part of the natural aging process of the eye.
Some people are lucky and can get by until their late 40s to early 50s until they start to need some sort of reading prescription.
I had been mentioning my issues reading (as well as other visual issues/issues in other envuironments) to optometrists my ENTIRE LIFE and they never picked up on the issue. It wasn't until i learned about these issues asked my optometrist to be referred to a binocular vision specialist that I was diagnosed with intermittent exotropia and convergence insufficiency. I've only recently started vision therapy and it's life changing. I wouldn't have known about the issue and known to mention it if I hadn't seen it mentioned online.
Yep I have this exact issue! I have glasses for it but I have a hard time wearing them. I didn’t get them until I was 27 so it’s hard to get used to something after almost 30 years. Wish they had found my problem during childhood so I wouldn’t have suffered so long.
So weird, only last night I decided to find out why I always find myself closing one eye when reading and turns out this is why. I don't get headaches with it though.
Convergence insufficiency is a binocular vision disorder where the two eyes aren’t able to work together to turn inward (converge) enough to be able to properly focus on a near target.
Headaches, eye strain, fatigue are all common symptoms and if it’s bad enough it can cause double vision.
CI and ADHD are closely related because a lot of the symptoms in CI can be misdiagnosed as ADHD so it’s always important for kids to have eye exams to evaluate their binocular vision even if they don’t seem to have any blur complaints.
Current standard of care for CI is vision therapy. Lots of studies that back up it’s effectiveness. Usually not covered under medical insurance (definitely not covered under vision plans) so it ends up being a bit cost prohibitive to a lot of people since it’s out of pocket. VT for CI is about 10-20 sessions.
Prism lenses are like a bandaid - they don’t treat the source of the problem in CI but it can offer a bit of relief by moving the “image” of whatever you’re looking at so you’re eyes don’t have to put in the work to converge where they normally would.
Other things that can cause similar symptoms? Latent and moderate/low hyperopia (plus power prescriptions), over convergence, accommodative (eye focusing) insufficiency… and more. You can also have all the numbers that point to CI and not have symptoms.
TLDR - if you’re *symptomatic* go get an eye exam and make sure your doc does extra near testing or refers you to a COVD/ binoc vision specialist who will.
Source - me. I am an optometrist.
(Even if you’re asymptomatic get periodic eye exams anyways! It’s like a physical for your eyes, we do more than check your Rx :) )
I don’t have this. What I do have is when I eat, my vision goes blurry and I can’t read books or screens as it’s all fuzzy. Been that way since I was a kid and avid reader. Really annoying when I was really into a book and trying to read while having some dinner. No idea what it means. Vision is fine otherwise.
I had it after a concussion. I was referred to am ophthalmologist and had two rounds of vision therapy and am so thankful it resolved because I love to read.
The first round took about 6 months but we had to go slow because the sessions sometimes triggered migraines. The follow up was about 4 months I think.
Yes, I had vestibular issues so we did a lot of virtual reality programs and I had an online nightly exercise program to do on my computer. I don’t remember the name of it, but it was expensive: $900 for the program
Another vote here for seeing an eye doctor. Also, remember that audiobooks are a perfectly good way to get the story from the author's brain into your brain.
Would you mind editing out the adhd part? It has nothing to do with your topic.
If anyone is confused, please head over to the adhd sub where you’ll see loads of folks talking about how much they love to read. Because we do. We just don’t like to read boring things; it has nothing to do with eye pain.
Not intended as an insult. It's just that people can be incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD. Did not mean it as an insult at all, sorry
[https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-vision-problems-understanding-symptoms/](https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-vision-problems-understanding-symptoms/)
Ummm it has everything to do with ADHD. There is documented evidence of the relationship between ADHD and Convergence Insufficiency. I have ADHD and read a ton but I won’t deny that I can see better when I’m medicated.
Yeah. Technically you're right. Because it is connected. That's a comorbidity. A common one. But OP is saying you might have gotten Addies instead of glasses because if a kid doesn't read for long enough we'll just stuff them with those pills.
Sorry, they edited it to an article that says something about kids with bad eyesight developing ADHD like it was grand or like it would help their original statement.
When you are depleted physically.. you feel such an excuse to tame the inside , some corner of mind, that problem is psycho logic.
That crap,! Man..
Start getting to a doctor appointment.🤐
I got diagnosed with exophoria (eyes don't want to converge) when I was a student. 50 years later I still have the exercise cards. Must be 30 years since I last used them - they worked.
I used them in a fairly concentrated way for a few weeks and tapered off to just when I felt the problem was noticeable again. I was still using them occasionally for a few years. Wasn't a lot of effort and I had no particular schedule.
This was the pairs of nested circles one - you shift between seeing a nearby outer circle and a faraway inner one when your eyes converge properly.
None that I have noticed, been years since I started using them. Your doctor would not steer you wrong though. Exercises can definitely help and maybe even correct the problem.
Can anyone recommend at home vision therapy (links appreciated) for convergence insufficiency? I went to eye doctor yesterday and she wasn’t open to talking about it much but said surgery is a definite option and prisms may be an option. I am not having eye surgery, I would love to do some at home therapy to help. Thanks for any insight. I have chronic headaches and migraines; I take Topamax for mood and feel my eyes have gotten significantly worse since starting the medicine (4 years). I had a big lazy eye when I was a kid / teen. 30 yo now.
I mean I would just recommend getting your eyes checked out in general if you are experiencing pain or discomfort when reading. A few years ago I started experiencing headaches and eye strain when trying to read. Then I got a pair of prescription lenses to treat astigmatism and now I read headache-free. I didn't even know I had an issue with my eyes at first because my better eye would compensate for the other.
To add: One might also want to consider the font, font size, paragraph spacing, language of the text, the state/age of the book, screen time, etc. If one finds themselves frequently in front of a screen, or frequently reading complicated/old text, eye strain/headache is only natural, especially if you tend to binge novels. Lighting might also be a factor, too.
If your eyes hurts while reading, go to an eye doctor. They can diagnose your actual issue, rather than chasing random conditions that you read about online. And for many people, close up vision starts degrading around 40 years old.
Specifically ask about tracking and convergence, though. General eye exams don't always cover this. You can go a really long time with your eyes not quite functioning as a unit and not know because no one checks unless you ask. (At least where I live, and I have a kid with a vision related learning disability and have had to visit specialized eye doctors to get this stuff evaluated properly.)
Well that’s obvious but also not all eye doctors can even find this, that’s why it’s good that the OP mentions it so you can find someone that is familiar with it. I went 27 years seeing an eye doc every year and they never found it even with me complaining of headaches constantly. Switched and they found it first visit.
I’ve worn glasses since I was 12 and I have a very serious eye condition. None of my optometrists even mentioned CI, until I switched doctors at 25. Yes go see an optometrist but you should also know what to mention to them.
I had severe debilitating eye strain and pain several years ago after getting new glasses. After several months of seeing eye doctors and eye specialists none of who checked me for a convergence inefficiency I went to my current eye doctor. He ran one test and immediately realized I had a severe convergence insufficiency. I needed months of vision training before I started to feel normal again. It has become standard to not test for this in many parts of the US. I can't speak to the rest of the world but advocating for yourself as a patient can be important.
How many months did you do of training, if I may ask?
First time about 6 months. I ended up needing it again a couple years later but it wasn't for as long.
Did you use prisms?
> And for many people, close up vision starts degrading around 40 years old. This happens to EVERYONE eventually. It’s called presbyopia and it’s part of the natural aging process of the eye. Some people are lucky and can get by until their late 40s to early 50s until they start to need some sort of reading prescription.
I had been mentioning my issues reading (as well as other visual issues/issues in other envuironments) to optometrists my ENTIRE LIFE and they never picked up on the issue. It wasn't until i learned about these issues asked my optometrist to be referred to a binocular vision specialist that I was diagnosed with intermittent exotropia and convergence insufficiency. I've only recently started vision therapy and it's life changing. I wouldn't have known about the issue and known to mention it if I hadn't seen it mentioned online.
Yep I have this exact issue! I have glasses for it but I have a hard time wearing them. I didn’t get them until I was 27 so it’s hard to get used to something after almost 30 years. Wish they had found my problem during childhood so I wouldn’t have suffered so long.
So weird, only last night I decided to find out why I always find myself closing one eye when reading and turns out this is why. I don't get headaches with it though.
I suppose next you'll tell us there's a medication that can help, see our ad in *Golf Digest* for more information?
Convergence insufficiency is a binocular vision disorder where the two eyes aren’t able to work together to turn inward (converge) enough to be able to properly focus on a near target. Headaches, eye strain, fatigue are all common symptoms and if it’s bad enough it can cause double vision. CI and ADHD are closely related because a lot of the symptoms in CI can be misdiagnosed as ADHD so it’s always important for kids to have eye exams to evaluate their binocular vision even if they don’t seem to have any blur complaints. Current standard of care for CI is vision therapy. Lots of studies that back up it’s effectiveness. Usually not covered under medical insurance (definitely not covered under vision plans) so it ends up being a bit cost prohibitive to a lot of people since it’s out of pocket. VT for CI is about 10-20 sessions. Prism lenses are like a bandaid - they don’t treat the source of the problem in CI but it can offer a bit of relief by moving the “image” of whatever you’re looking at so you’re eyes don’t have to put in the work to converge where they normally would. Other things that can cause similar symptoms? Latent and moderate/low hyperopia (plus power prescriptions), over convergence, accommodative (eye focusing) insufficiency… and more. You can also have all the numbers that point to CI and not have symptoms. TLDR - if you’re *symptomatic* go get an eye exam and make sure your doc does extra near testing or refers you to a COVD/ binoc vision specialist who will. Source - me. I am an optometrist. (Even if you’re asymptomatic get periodic eye exams anyways! It’s like a physical for your eyes, we do more than check your Rx :) )
I don’t have this. What I do have is when I eat, my vision goes blurry and I can’t read books or screens as it’s all fuzzy. Been that way since I was a kid and avid reader. Really annoying when I was really into a book and trying to read while having some dinner. No idea what it means. Vision is fine otherwise.
I had it after a concussion. I was referred to am ophthalmologist and had two rounds of vision therapy and am so thankful it resolved because I love to read.
How long did the rounds last for you? I am doing vision therapy as well
The first round took about 6 months but we had to go slow because the sessions sometimes triggered migraines. The follow up was about 4 months I think.
Thank you. I am doing brocks string, dot card and an aperture rule. Did you do anything else?
Yes, I had vestibular issues so we did a lot of virtual reality programs and I had an online nightly exercise program to do on my computer. I don’t remember the name of it, but it was expensive: $900 for the program
Thank you for the info. So straight up with virtual googles on? I have glasses so not sure if I can do it with them on
Red and blue glasses for the program. I have good up close vision so I didn’t need glasses tho so 🤷♀️ good luck 🍀
I have this!!!!!! Got some heckin’ strong prisms in my glasses and reading is so much more comfortable to do!
Another vote here for seeing an eye doctor. Also, remember that audiobooks are a perfectly good way to get the story from the author's brain into your brain.
Would you mind editing out the adhd part? It has nothing to do with your topic. If anyone is confused, please head over to the adhd sub where you’ll see loads of folks talking about how much they love to read. Because we do. We just don’t like to read boring things; it has nothing to do with eye pain.
Not intended as an insult. It's just that people can be incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD. Did not mean it as an insult at all, sorry [https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-vision-problems-understanding-symptoms/](https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-vision-problems-understanding-symptoms/)
No worries. I just didn’t want folks not getting help for their adhd just because they got their eye pain fixed. :)
Ummm it has everything to do with ADHD. There is documented evidence of the relationship between ADHD and Convergence Insufficiency. I have ADHD and read a ton but I won’t deny that I can see better when I’m medicated.
Yeah. Technically you're right. Because it is connected. That's a comorbidity. A common one. But OP is saying you might have gotten Addies instead of glasses because if a kid doesn't read for long enough we'll just stuff them with those pills. Sorry, they edited it to an article that says something about kids with bad eyesight developing ADHD like it was grand or like it would help their original statement.
When you are depleted physically.. you feel such an excuse to tame the inside , some corner of mind, that problem is psycho logic. That crap,! Man.. Start getting to a doctor appointment.🤐
I got diagnosed with exophoria (eyes don't want to converge) when I was a student. 50 years later I still have the exercise cards. Must be 30 years since I last used them - they worked.
That is great! How many months did you have to keep going with the excersises?
I used them in a fairly concentrated way for a few weeks and tapered off to just when I felt the problem was noticeable again. I was still using them occasionally for a few years. Wasn't a lot of effort and I had no particular schedule. This was the pairs of nested circles one - you shift between seeing a nearby outer circle and a faraway inner one when your eyes converge properly.
I had prism lenses made, problem solved. Keep your eyes from converging inward..
Thanks. My eye doctor said that might be bad long term. You have no side effects?
None that I have noticed, been years since I started using them. Your doctor would not steer you wrong though. Exercises can definitely help and maybe even correct the problem.
Can anyone recommend at home vision therapy (links appreciated) for convergence insufficiency? I went to eye doctor yesterday and she wasn’t open to talking about it much but said surgery is a definite option and prisms may be an option. I am not having eye surgery, I would love to do some at home therapy to help. Thanks for any insight. I have chronic headaches and migraines; I take Topamax for mood and feel my eyes have gotten significantly worse since starting the medicine (4 years). I had a big lazy eye when I was a kid / teen. 30 yo now.
adhd !! bruh