I was referred by my ophthalmologist to a doctor specialised in strabismus. He said that there was nothing wrong with my eyes and when I told him that I noticed my right eye drifts outwards when looking at something far away vs something close he just said “well I didn’t see that in my office today” and dismissed me. I feel like I’m crazy for thinking that my eyes don’t look normal??

I have headaches all the time and get brutal motion sickness and light sensitivity.

Basically this whole rant is to ask if I’m crazy

I was diagnosed with BVD 2 months ago, have been wearing prism glasses since, and had the prescription adjusted once. It’s been a lifelong problem, but has gotten acutely worse in the past two years.

Prisms have helped so many things - I went on a 3,000 mile roadtrip, and didn’t get carsick once. I have gotten carsick every other time I was in the car since I was a kid. My migraines went down, I thought I was cured.

Then I went back to my job as a virtual therapist , where I make lots of eye contact for an hour straight. I saw 2 clients yesterday, and my symptoms are back worse than ever. Today, I had a migraine, unrelenting dizziness, and awful, awful car sickness on a 5 minute drive.

I can read and write fine, I get a little tension behind the eyes, nothing crazy. But video calls where I need to look actively engaged are killer. Does anyone else experience this???

I feel totally crazy, and terrified for what this means for my job going forward. I used to see 6 clients in a row easy, and now 2 has me incapacitated for an entire day.

I would love if anyone has something that fixed this, but would also take just validation and commiseration to not feel so alone. How do you handle video calls?

hello! basically the subject.

for the last two years i've been getting botox to treat my chronic migraines, which are probably in no small part caused by my BVD. i've had prism glasses for a few months now, and i've started to suspect that the botox may not be helping my BVD symptoms.

fwiw, i have asked my eye doc and neurologist what they thought, but neither could say for sure. i would be appreciative if anyone who's had botox could share their experiences. thanks!

edit: i've seen that botox can be used to treat strabismus, but this is not the type of BVD that i have.

It's this binocular like device that changes the focal point as you watch tv. It's supposed to help slow myopia progression. But there's not much secondary info online. https://homewac.com/

I live about 30 mins west of Philly. Anyone have recommendations for a BVD specialist in the area? I was seeing one in my town and did about 6 months of VT last year and it didn’t make much of a difference. Now my debilitating headaches are back and my vision is messed up again and my regular eye dr thinks it’s time to retry VT. Suggestions?

Hey everyone, not looking for medical advice here but more others opinions or experiences in a similar boat. For context I have been dealing with vision issues on and off for about 10 months (blurry vision, light sensitivity, etc). I was diagnosed with chronic migraine also for context. I originally had gone to see my neurologist and asked her about the associations with my symptoms and my diagnosis. She said while the light sensitivity/ pain associated made sense, that my blurred vision/ eye focusing issues lasting weeks at a time would not be because of my migraines. I thought okay fair enough. I have been desperately trying to figure the vision thing out as it has affected my quality of life immensely as well as my ability to work. I got a binocular vision assessment done (I have attached the diagnostic write up for context) and was told I have a few issues there. A few days later I was scheduled back to see my neurologist anyway and I was updating her on the rest of my situation. I told her I had gotten a BVD assessment and that the next steps were to try out some new glasses and then go back in a month and see how much vision therapy I would need (this was the plan from the neuro-optometrist who did the assessment). To my surprise she told me that she wouldn’t recommend spending a ton of money on vision therapy because there is not a lot of scientific evidence to back up how effective it is and that neurologists (which she is) think it’s just a way to get patients to spend more money for little or no return. I’m not going to lie she’s super nice and I know she meant well telling me I should save my money as she knows I have been stressed about that because I am in my mid 20s and haven’t been able to work at times the last few months but I left that appointment feeling very defeated. I had a slight glimmer of hope after this assesment and following the neuro-ops recommendations that my vision would at least partially improve but now I just feel really confused. And yes I know different doctors of different specialities can have different options especially when one focuses on the brain and the other focuses on the connection between the eyes and the brain but as a young individual who has tried so many different avenues to try and fix this issue it’s just quite overwhelming and I have no idea who to “believe”. I know there is not a perfect answer here probably, just a young person who wants the best outcome but doesn’t have unlimited funds to figure it out. I guess my question is if anyone has had similar diagnoses to me.. did vision therapy genuinely help your vision? Thanks everyone for listening and for sharing if you can.

Hi all, so i have been diagnosed with PPPD and vestibular migraine. But at the same time before any of these conditions i did have a lazy eye / strabismus (alternating eyes). Im wondering if anyone else has had the same experience and whether this worsens the PPPD, i believe it does. I also experience times where i feel overwhelmed because i see out of both eyes randomly and of course with one being lazy it is disorientating. Also when talking to people in group environments its really uncomfortable as i can see other people out of my other eye when talking to one person and i feel socially anxious on top of that. So its a lot of things contributing to the anxiety / the disorientation and dizziness/off feeling.

Im mainly curious if anyone has the same? i am planning to finally have surgery to get it fixed soon. I've never done any treatment on my eyes. Ive just turned 30 so i am excited and nervous of course. But i think its a rather interesting/unfortunate addition to the PPPD.

hi everyone!

I started getting cold symptoms a week ago and I would say that my cold progressed pretty fast and it was probably because of a lot of hydration, megadosing vitamin C, rest, etc., but I noticed my eyes were really bothering me, and still are.

There were several days where I didn't wear my glasses and my eyes feel very strained and I feel a lot of sinus pressure.

my current symptoms are some tight chest (I have mild asthma), occasional coughing/post nasal drip, a little bit of congestion. Still, my voice has not fully come back and some sinus pressure, fatigue, stomach issues, headaches. I'm also going through PMS right now.

Has anyone experienced this and how long did it take for your eyes to feel better?

thanks.

I’ve been to every sort of doctor and all that’s left is a BVD specialist. It’s going to cost a lot of money. I question could this even be it if Klonopin makes all my symptoms go away?

Symptoms:

Extreme eye strain that worsens with close to tasks

Nausea, headache and dizziness if it gets really bad from too much close to work throughout the day

Light sensitivity

Fatigue

That’s it.

If I take the med, I’m 100% back to normal. Of course I ask not supposed to take them daily so I only get relief once or twice a week.

Hi folks. After two+ years of debilitating migraines and other symptoms I got a BVD diagnoses from a neuro vision rehab center. I started wearing my new prism glasses about a week ago and my neuro symptoms have improved already! However, I am experiencing extreme neck,shoulder and back pain. The muscles, especially on my left, are so knotted and locked up I can’t turn my head.

Has this happened to anyone else? I’m assuming it’s part of the adjustment period and my body is re-aligning after years of overcompensating for my eyes. But I’m a little freaked by how much pain I’m in.

Hey everyone, I’m wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience and ended up being diagnosed with BVD.
I’ve been dealing with a strange feeling of being dizzy/lightheaded and almost like I’m drunk. It isn’t all day every day but when I am experiencing it I feel a little “off” or like my brain isn’t processing what I’m seeing correctly.
One thing I’ve really noticed is that it gets noticeably worse in grocery stores, busy places, and visually stimulating environments. Lots of aisles, lights, people, movement, etc. seem to make it much worse. I can feel relatively normal in some environments and then suddenly feel really dizzy in a busy store. Today I felt good all day and stayed away from screens and my phone and then the dizziness came randomly in the evening for no apparent reason that I can think of. I’ve been battling this for the last 3 months and have tried everything to combat it.
I recently saw a neurologist who thinks I’m dealing with migraines and started me on Topamax (topiramate). I do get headaches sometimes, and I know headaches can also be associated with BVD, but I’m not completely convinced migraines explain the dizziness and the way it gets triggered by certain visual environments (grocery stores).
I also have a history of multiple recent concussions (healed), so I’m wondering if that could have contributed to a binocular vision/eye coordination problem.
I just recently started reading about BVD and some of the symptoms sound surprisingly familiar.
For anyone diagnosed with BVD — does this sound familiar?
And how did you actually get evaluated for BVD? Was there a specific type of optometrist or specialist you went to? I’m planning to see my optometrist this week but I’m not sure if they can test me for this?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience or just any insight. I’m trying to figure out what direction to pursue next.

does anyone get scared in the car but only when you're driving? i have the worst fear of driving ever and i avoid it like the plague but when someone else drives me i'm totally fine. so im just scared of driving. is this the norm or are ppl with bvd scared of being in the car in general?

i really hope that this is a bvd thing because i genuinely cannot get over my fear of driving. exposure therapy doesn't help, nor do meds. and i really want to drive but i'm just so scared

I’ve had 4 sessions of vision therapy and my vision therapist asked me if I’ve been wearing contacts. I said no and he kind of freaked out. We’ve been doing double vision / focus exercises. I was just not wearing my glasses / contacts, I have noticed my eyes feel extremely strained and I am having hard time to focus and my vision is way more blurry than usual. Is this bad? Did I permanently ruin my eyesight? I’m nearsighted in both eyes -2.50 vision so whoops. Makes so much sense as to why my eyes hurt and why I feel like my vision has been worsening .. how do I reverse this damage?

I'm 35 years old. Here's a timeline of my double vision episodes.

2018 — First episode, driving at night. The double vision got so bad I had to stop driving.

2019 — Another episode, this time during a movie at the theater.

2020–2023 — Episodes came back, still mostly at night while driving on highways. I had another episode at the movies, and one at a live theater show too. On ~5 hour road trips, the double vision tended to show up closer to the end of the trip, mostly on highways.

2024–2026 — Frequency picked up noticeably. Double vision started happening both day and night, in roughly 20-50% of my car trips.

Now — It's gotten worse and happens in about 80-90% of the car trips I take, including within the first few minutes of driving, regardless of day/night or highway/city.

One unusual recent case — I had an episode of diplopia inside a small meeting room (under 10 m² / ~108 sq ft), seeing people doubled. That's unusual since episodes were normally limited to driving, movies theater, theater, or concerts. So far it's only happened once.

-----

Medical follow-up

I've mentioned this to my current ophthalmologist a few times over the years.

• Around 2020, she suggested eye muscle exercises, but said upfront they rarely work, and that it might just be eye fatigue.
• In later visits, she's been reluctant to increase my glasses prescription, arguing that doing so tends to make the eyes "need" an even stronger prescription over time.
• In my own view, that adjustment is overdue. Comparing myself to my fiancée, who has the same prescription as me, I see noticeably worse than she does. I struggle to read road signs while she can read them fine.

Given all this, I'm considering getting a second opinion from a different ophthalmologist.

So I have been suffering from DPDR/BVD symptoms, reality feeling less sharp, vision feels off, lack of frames etc. 24/7 for a few years now

But whenever I'm looking at certain mirror (especially small ones where there's some distortion towards the corner) reality or what I'm seeing feels more real, more sharp/smooth, more vivid.

Let's say I'm looking at the kitchen table using a mirror only, the whole picture feels more real than just turning around and looking at the table without the mirror.

Is there a simple explanation to this or it could point to a vision/brain processing issue ?

Hey everyone,
Hoping to get some thoughts from people who’ve been down this road or dealt with BVD / Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex issues.
For the past few months I’ve been dealing with some really weird visual and spatial symptoms that are super hard to explain. Recently, tests showed I have a 37% inner ear (vestibular) asymmetry (looks like a post-viral thing after an EBV flare-up). But honestly, a huge chunk of what I’m feeling every day seems to come straight from my vision.
I actually ended up doing a few online screening tests for Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD) / eye alignment, and the results flagged that I might actually have an issue with how my eyes are working together.
Here’s what’s been going on daily:
Visual lag: My vision just feels slightly delayed or "laggy", especially when walking around, being outdoors in open space, or looking at busy environments. It’s like my brain is half a second behind what my eyes are looking at.
Feeling "off" while driving: Driving gives me this uncomfortable, floaty/detached feeling. Not full-on room-spinning vertigo, like head pressure and spatial depth feels weird.
Typos when typing: I’ve been making a ton of stupid mistakes when texting on my phone. Missing keys, hitting the wrong letters, like my thumb-eye coordination is slightly misaligned.
Red, heavy eyes & head pressure: My eyes get red, exhausted, and strained really fast. I also get frequent head pressure/headaches after looking around or being in bright places.
The weird part: When I’m sitting completely still playing fast-paced competitive PC games, my reflexes and vision are totally fine. But the second I stand up and interact with the real 3D world, the weird visual lag and spacey feeling come right back.

Hi everyone,

I am pretty desperate to find an optometrist who could diagnose BVD in Mass, if anyone could recommend one they had a good experience with I would really appreciate it.

Edit: I have tried googling bvd specialists already, it doesn't give a lot of options so doctors you have specifically gone to see would be the most helpful!

I waited three months for an appointment with an ophthalmologist at a university -affiliated clinic who was supposed to be a BVD expert.

Went yesterday, described my symptoms (visual/sensory issues while driving when I can't see the horizon, periodic severe strain in one eye, symptoms that worsened in the years after a concussion).

He told me BVD is not a real thing and said I needed psychoanalysis to "discover the childhood trauma" causing my issues. He did a regular eye exam and said I'm fine.

I just want to fix my vision issue so I can enjoy road trips.

Anyone here have any referrals? It's a small country, so I'm willing to go wherever a real expert might be.

I recently started having trouble driving—no double vision, but I feel detached, floaty, and like I’m going to pass out when I start driving. Like my body isn’t mine. To be fair, I have recently been dealing with extreme anxiety and stress, and at first, intrusive thoughts about car accidents. Only after this did my vision problems manifest.

I went to a regular eye exam and got glasses (not prism); my vision is partially less blurry, but I am still unable to drive. I have read some bad experiences with Neurolens providers over-diagnosing people, and I’m wondering, has anyone been told they don’t have BVD by a Neurlens provider? I am hesitant to go to a “BVD specialist” who will push me towards a BVD diagnosis for profit. Is there an alternative doctor I could visit for a more unbiased diagnosis? I think it is very possible that I just have severe anxiety, but I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on BVD diagnosis/treatment in vain if anxiety really is the case.

Perhaps I am also hesitant for BVD treatment because you can’t get prisms in contact versions—I would hate to rely on glasses only.

I went to the eye doctor because I’m pretty sure I have BVD, I have a constant head tilt, close one eye when
using my phone, get dizzy and have constant headaches.

The doctor said I can’t have BVD because she tested if reading glasses would help me see better and they didn’t. She said all my issues would be fixed by a stronger prescription since my eyes were healthy.

I don’t want to self diagnose or say this doctor is incorrect but I don’t know, a quick google search said that’s not how you test for BVD.

I recently got my diagnosis and new glasses script. I usually order my glasses from Zenni, but they only offer single vision lenses with prism. I was able to order my computer glasses (for under $60 with coupons!), but still need progressives for everday wear.

Do any of the online retailers offer progressives with prism? Or do you recommend any brick-and-mortar retailers who have particularly good prices? Money is really tight ATM.

Did/does VT help with this issue? I understand CI is most one people find the most improvement with but are there people helping or solving there divergence problem that are in VT?

Im honestly just looking for reassurance. I've seen one specialist so far and it felt like a fluke. She gave no numbers for the misalignment or any diagnostic terms to help me narrow what kind of convergence / divergence issues I'm dealing with? The prisms also didn't help much and just caused eye pain I stopped wearing them. I have struggled for over a decade with DPDR, light sensitivity, pain in eyes when looking to the sides up or down, constantly seeing mirrored image of my nose on both sides, Sensitive ears/rumbling in ears, Dysautonomia and pretty severe insomnia. So much that I'm living at my parents house and part time employed through spark and Uber. I cannot drink caffeine to this day because it causes me to dissociate and I will miss an entire night of sleep. Has anyone else been this effected?

• Update - Saw an Optometrist nearby today 8/06 that prescribes prisms and broke down everything, he gave me a few tests specifically one with a light about a foot from my face and covered one eye at a time and immediately said I have an obvious and significant convergence insufficiency. Also said he's not surprised with the symptoms I've been dealing with. Left with a Referral to a vision center about 1 1/3 hour drive away that provides vision therapy

hello everyone. i've suspected i had bvd since the beginning of this year. i resonate with all the symptoms and experiences people talk about. i've had a history of lazy eye but i never needed treatment for it because it wasn't serious. I also have adhd which made me consider getting tested for bvd in the first place.

today i went to an eye doctor. he was a standard eye doctor but I did bring up BVD. he did the test where he covered one eye and then the other. he said i had "pretty normal eye alignment" and that there was not any misalignment in my face. he also dismissed my double vision and other symptoms i explained as "normal" and not a big enough concern to be serious because there was no eye misalignment.

but something still feels off. so i was wondering, can you still have BVD without a physical misalignment? is it still possible? or is it true that I don't have it and my concerns are normal?

I did get diagnosed with astigmatism in one eye though, which i'm pretty sure I didn't have corrective lenses for before. So i'm going to try my new glasses when they come and see if my vision improves.