Double vision is a relatively common problem, and is responsible for 850,000 visits to the doctor and hospital each year.
Double vision, also known as diplopia, is a common symptom of convergence insufficiency, lazy eye and strabismus, though it can also result from any of the following conditions:
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Brain swelling
- Brain tumor
- Brain aneurysm
- Cranial nerve palsy
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Diabetes
- Myasthenia gravis
- Multiple sclerosis
If you have any of these conditions contact an eye doctor to evaluate your vision.
Why are you seeing double?
To achieve the single vision the two eyes need to work together by looking at and focusing on the same image, simultaneously. Each eye is then responsible for transmitting visual information to the brain, where the two images are then fused into a clear, single image.
Double vision most commonly occurs when the two eyes are not aligned properly and are unable to look at and focus on the same image, at the same time.
As a result, the brain is unable to fuse the two visual signals transmitted from the two eyes into one single image— resulting in double vision.
The two images of a single object may be seen horizontally (side by side) or vertically (one on top of the other).
Double vision can be very worrying and significantly impact your quality of life. Fortunately, double vision can be effectively treated with prism lenses and vision therapy.
SEE RELATED: Vision Therapy for Double Vision: Success Stories
Schedule an appointment with a vision therapy eye doctor to start treating your double vision.
What are prism lenses?
Prism lenses are specialized lenses prescribed by eye doctors for the treatment of double vision and other severe binocular vision difficulties.
Prisms correct eye alignment by “tricking” the brain into perceiving that an image is located in a different location or position.
This helps the brain to accurately process the two visual signals and fuse them into one, single image.
Vision therapy
While prism lenses are an effective solution for improving binocular vision, their effects are only short term, as they only enable single vision for as long as you wear your glasses.
If you are searching for a long term solution for double vision, speak with your doctor about vision therapy.
Vision therapy retrains the eye-brain connections to improve your visual skills for clearer, single vision— with or without your prism lenses.
For optimal treatment results, many eye doctors will prescribe prism lenses along with a program of vision therapy.
With a combination of prism lenses and vision therapy, your eyes will learn to work together to regain clear and comfortable binocular vision.
LEARN MORE: Guide to Neuro-Optometry
Contact an eye doctor to learn more about how prism lenses and vision therapy can help improve your binocular vision— for a clearer, more comfortable way of viewing life.
