Yesterday, Ben’s Aunt Lois posted a link on Facebook to an article about learning struggles and vision problems. The article caught my eye because this is similar to something we are experiencing with Lance. I thought I would go read the article.
I was not sure what to expect when I read the article to be real honest. What I did know is that I had a child that was struggling and I did not have any answers. I also had a child that was diagnosed with a vision problem that is not “ordinary.” The optometrist did not call it a disorder or anything like that, but it is very much like what I suffer from except for the way he describes what happens when he reads.
I will share it here in case any of you will benefit from it.
“Mom finds answer to daughter’s learning struggles after vision disorder diagnosis”
I try to keep an open mind when reading news articles because they can often be skewed, but they often lead me to go research things further. This was the case here. I had heard the terms “binocular vision disorder” referenced in my past many years before but I needed to refresh my memory on what it was exactly so I started researching.
I also looked at the foundation that was mentioned in the article.
It was in this research that I felt like I was looking at all the research and answers I needed for myself and ultimately to help Lance. It was not what was revealed in the original article, it was the information I found when I was researching the various stuff uncovered from the original article. The mind that thrives on knowledge learns a lot and ultimately uncovers a lot of information. It is all a matter of how we use that information.
I was not 100% certain that these were the correct answers but I had a calming peace come over me that as I read down the list of symptoms an saw that they were fitting Lance’s symptoms listed under Convergence Insufficiency Disorder to a T. This was not what Dr Penn had called it, but it was exactly what he had described to me. It was the same thing he had described to me when I was 27 years old and he put me in bifocals. All this time I had no idea what it was called and suddenly I knew. Suddenly I could put in words what it was.
I still do not know 100% if this is what it is as this is not what Dr Penn called it like I said, but it sounds like what it is. The good news is that it is treatable.
The questions I have are that if it is truly rare – roughly 5-10% of the population has it. Last night I spent a lot of time researching whether or not it is genetic. That was interesting. From what I read, it can be genetic (or not). In Lance’s case this could very well be genetic because he has a direct blood relative (his mother) that has the same problem. It could also be for myself (if it is in fact genetic for Lance). The interesting question then becomes, who did I get it from? How many more people in the family have it without even knowing it. Why were my genes stronger than Ben’s genes? Does Ben have a mild form of it and not realize it? Does someone in Ben’s genetic make-up have it thereby he was carrying the genetic disposition to pass it on as well?
Of course, as of right now, this is 100% speculation because I have not confirmed that this is in fact what he has. It is a possibility and a good one. For now I will continue to research it and tomorrow I will present the information I found to the doctor. We will see if the research fits with the headaches and other symptoms. Will this help cut out some of those? Is it possible that he has been experiencing vertigo symptoms because of the eye problems? This raised a lot of questions to go with the answers.
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