Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffNot everyone with convergence insufficiency experiences symptoms. Signs and symptoms occur while you're reading or doing other close work and may include:
- Tired, sore or uncomfortable eyes (eyestrain)
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty reading — words seem to float on the page, you lose your place or you read slowly
- Double vision
- Difficulty concentrating
- A "pulling" feeling around your eyes
- Sleepiness
- Squinting, rubbing or closing one eye
When to see a doctor
If you or your child experiences symptoms of convergence insufficiency or has problems reading, consult an eye care professional, such as an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. A technician called an orthoptist may assist the eye care professional in evaluating and treating convergence insufficiency.
References
- Lavrich JB. Convergence insufficiency and its current treatment. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. 2010;21:356.
- Scheiman M, et al. Non-surgical interventions for convergence insufficiency. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(3)CD006768. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Convergence insufficiency. American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. http://www.aapos.org/terms/show/38. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Serna A, et al. Treatment of symptomatic convergence insufficiency with a home-based computer orthoptic exercise program. Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. 2011;15:140.
- Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Study Group. Randomized clinical trial of treatments for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2008;126:1336.
- Scheiman M, et al. Treatment of convergence insufficiency in childhood: A current perspective. Optometry and Vision Science. 2009;86:420.
- Scheiman M, et al. Vision therapy/orthoptics for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children: Treatment kinetics. Optometry and Vision Science. 2010;87:593.
Find Mayo Clinic on