Others like me?

[Glenda21460]

After struggling my entire life with such things as light sensitivity, dizziness, feeling unbalanced, feeling cross-eyed, eye strain, inability to concentrate, blurriness, etc., finally I was recently, at age 48, diagnosed with Esophoria!  Part of me is relieved to know I don't have a brain tumor or something, but now I am totally frustrated that my vision problems are not "fixable"...  My problem is made even worse because the Esophoria problem causes me to want things up close, but I am farsighted and need things to be far away... So my eyes are in a constant struggle.  Right now my doctor has put prisms in my lenses. (The first time the prism seemed to make a huge beneficial difference for me, but this time I'm still struggling day to day.) He is suggesting that I am going to need to do weekly vision therapy to be able to deal with the Esophoria.  I did vision therapy before, and it seemed to help, but as soon as I stop I'm back to square one.  Anyway, I would like to communicate with someone else who is in the same situation as I am.  This problem tends to ruin my life and no one else around me can understand what I'm going through.  If anyone wants to communicate their frustrations with me I would appreciate it because it's just nice to know that someone else is going through the same thing and that you're not alone in your struggles.  Also, if anyone has had any positive experiences with vision therapy in relation to Esophoria I would appreciate hearing about it.   ---  Glenda

[summerluvr]

Just wanted to chime in here that I can for sure relate.

I don't know which way your eye turns but I have congenital strabismus (turns in).  I had it fixed once as a child. was quite fine growing up, al be it far sighted.  Then it got very bad in my 20's had it fixed 4 years ago (not even). In summer 2007 I started having all these vision disturbances and my then eye doctor kept telling me my eyes were fine and it was just dry eyes. Finally got a referal to another opthalmologist by my family DR. She read my history, ran a basic exam, did not expect to find anything then noted my eye was extremely turned after dialated. Eye has now turned in again and is also pointed up. She refered me back to the surgeon (pediatric strabismus specialist)

I have been experiencing double vision, very bad night vision (glare,halos etc) I also have vertigo for the last year, so bad that I can not drive and being a passenger makes me motion sick from the movement out the windows. I get dizzy on stairs, in crowds, standing in one place for too long when I am tired it is severe. Reading is hard unless it is done with good light (sunlight by a window). I'm waitng for my appointment in February, to discuss a third surgery.

Good luck!

[Glenda21460]

Thank you!  Just to hear that someone else gets dizzy on stairs and crowds means I'm not alone, or crazy!  Thank you for sharing, and good luck with your future outcome!
Glenda

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear Glen21460,

I would recommend that you seek the care of an eyeMD to determine specializing in strabismus or motility disturbances of the eye, usually a neuro-ophthalmologist or pediatric ophthalmologist.  Correcting the farsightedness is especially important as the vision will be less strained and you will utilizing the muscles less frequently to see that also cause the eyes to cross.  

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California