What is the best treatment for convergence insufficiency?

I'm sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis, and worsening of your symptoms.

Convergence insufficiency is a condition that arises when there is an inability to maintain binocular function (keeping the 2 eyes working together) while working a t a near distance.

Typically one eye will turn outward (intermittent exotropia) when focusing on a word or object at near.

Treatment options are usually supportive and involve:

• Optimising your spectacle prescription (ensuring that your refraction is optimal for you (not over-corrected for myopia), and
• Ensuring that you have the correct reading glasses prescription, and
• Your treating ophthalmologist may prescribe some home convergence exercises (pencil push-ups) or computer vision exercises.

It sounds like you have already been prescribed prism spectacles to help with this.

If your condition has intractable and persistent symptoms, you may benefit from strabismus surgery (this usually involves resection and tightening of the medial rectus muscles) of both eyes.

Typically the symptoms of convergence insufficiency improve with this surgery, (in spite of the fact that the exodeviation itself may show little improvement).

Hopefully this will help you start your discussion with your treating ophthalmologist about the direction of future management of your condition. Cheers!

ESG

Hi A

Treatment for convergence insufficiency generally involves a combination of in -clinic computer program exercises (where available) and exercises you can do at home, such as stereograms and convergence cards. Some people also do 'pencil push ups' although the efficacy of this can be less predictable. Prisms can help in those people who have not benefited from other treatment methods.

However, going by what you describe you may have other problems besides convergence insufficiency. Specifically, you may have issues with your spectacle power/refractive error and in general, it would be good to have a comprehensive eye examination to make sure there is no other eye condition causing your problems.

I would suggest seeing an ophthalmologist/eye doctor, or if you have already seen one, to consider a second opinion for a thorough eye check.