Convergence Insufficiency Treatment

Convergence insufficiency is the most common binocular dysfunction associated with concussion (mild traumatic brain injury).

Convergence insufficiency occurs when the eyes struggle to turn towards the nose (i.e. converge) to maintain alignment and single vision when focusing upon nearby objects, such as occurs during reading or staring at a computer screen.  The ability to converge is an important component of stereopsis (depth perception) and object localization at near.

Symptoms of convergence insufficiency may include eyestrain, blurry vision, double vision, headaches, difficulty concentrating and sustaining visual attention.

The Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trials (CITT)^[1] was a large sample size, multi-centre, placebo-controlled, randomized-controlled research study, that demonstrated that vision therapy was effective in reducing symptoms and improving near point of convergence (NPC) in individuals with convergence insufficiency.   Amongst different treatment modalities evaluated in the CITT, office-base vision therapy was found to be more effective than home-based therapy or pencil push-up exercises alone.  The improvements in symptoms and NPC were also sustained over time in individuals who received office-based vision therapy.  This indicates the long-term effectiveness of vision therapy in managing convergence insufficiency.

---

^[1]  Scheiman, M et al.  A Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatments for Convergence Insufficiency in Children.  Arch Ophthalmol.  2005;123:14-24