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Medical Forum / General / Vision / September 2005

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Strange intermittant depth perception problem.

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gzmom - 19 Sep 2005 03:03 GMT
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone can give on this matter, and
thanks in advance.

I am 35 year old female. When I was 8 years old, I experienced my first
strange eye problem. I was in piano lessons under flourescent light. As
I looked at the page reading the notes (the print was pretty large and
clear) it appeared to shrink and pull away from my field of vision. It
continued until everything in my field of vision appeared flat and
dimensionless. Then, I began seeing double. I cried because I couldn't
read the notes. After closing my eyes and resting it seemed to return
to normal. My mother took me to an opthamologist. I was very young, and
he diagnosed a slight astigmatism and slight far sightedness. I was
prescribed glasses, which helped general fuzziness of small print but
not much more help. He indicated something like "ciliary spasms"?? And
that the condition, since it only occurred sometimes I would likely
outgrow. After subsequent visits where I did not improve, we tried a
"stick-on prism" lens that make a huge difference in my depth
perception (like everything seemed so 3-d! I recall being very
excited!), but never got to getting a ground in prism.

To this day, I do have this occur to me on occasion. When this happens,
I lose nearly all depth perception. At that point, I usually close my
eyes and rest for a while rather than let it get to double vision
point.
I also have nearly chronic daily headache. I do not wear my glasses,
and all optometrist visits indicate a very weak astigmatism and have
even been told that I don't need them enough to worry about.

In general, my vision is likely the typical astigmatism. Text (fonts
like courier are really bad) tends to move a bit and appear slightly
blurred. Black words on white background, and courier type or serifed
fonts are worse for making my eyes get tired. The lighting does seem to
make the problem more pronounced, as does general working at computer
or reading for long periods. I looked at Irlen syndrome, and I
recognize that a gray background with black text is easier on my eyes.
I don't know that I think this colored overlay approach is a real
solution to my problem, but if it could reduce eyestrain???

Does this sound like a typical binocular disorder? Does this sound like
something that could respond to some office therapy visits? Should I be
wearing my glasses? Should I have a prism lens again? Any ideas?

Thanks again for reading this far!
William Stacy - 19 Sep 2005 05:57 GMT
> I lose nearly all depth perception. At that point, I usually close my
> eyes and rest for a while rather than let it get to double vision
> point.
> I also have nearly chronic daily headache. I do not wear my glasses,
> and all optometrist visits indicate a very weak astigmatism and have
> even been told that I don't need them enough to worry about.

I doubt "very weak astigmatism" is causing or even related to your
symptoms.  They sound like a binocularity problem that has not yet been
properly diagnosed nor properly treated. Keep looking for a good
optometrist who will figure it out for you.

 I looked at Irlen syndrome, and I
> recognize that a gray background with black text is easier on my eyes.
> I don't know that I think this colored overlay approach is a real
> solution to my problem, but if it could reduce eyestrain???

It does no good and no harm, just like the hysterical myopia prevention
flame wars going on in this group right now.

> Does this sound like a typical binocular disorder? Does this sound like
> something that could respond to some office therapy visits? Should I be
> wearing my glasses? Should I have a prism lens again? Any ideas?

Yes, it does to me, as I said above. I'm not into vision therapy, but do
believe that the correct glasses may help.  Oddly enough, you may be a
person that plus lens therapy could help, and or prism glasses. A
careful binocularity workup should be able to tell. Good luck.

w.stacy, o.d.
Mike Tyner - 19 Sep 2005 06:00 GMT
> Does this sound like a typical binocular disorder?

Yes. Accommodative spasm, with intermittent loss of fusion.

> Does this sound like
> something that could respond to some office therapy visits? Should I be
> wearing my glasses? Should I have a prism lens again? Any ideas?

Without examining you, we can only say that either glasses and orthoptics
may be useful. Of the two, glasses are simpler and perhaps cheaper.

-MT
 
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