Monthly Archives: January

Motion Sickness Relief: The Surprising Benefits of Vision Therapy

Many people experience motion sickness, and it can be very uncomfortable, annoying and disruptive during daily activities. People who suffer from motion sickness often have difficulty with actions such as reading while riding in a car or plane, travelling by boat, looking at stationary objects while in motion, watching oncoming traffic, watching a 3-D movie or riding an amusement park ride. Symptoms of motion sickness can include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Cold sweats
• Rapid breathing
• Increase in saliva production

Motion Sickness Connection to Vision

Motion sickness can occur when there is a disconnection between what the eyes see and the signals the brain receives from the inner ear and other sensory systems. When visual input contradicts the body’s perception of motion, it can lead to a sensory mismatch, triggering symptoms like nausea and dizziness.

For individuals with vision issues, this disconnect becomes more pronounced. Conditions such as strabismus (eye misalignment), amblyopia (lazy eye), or convergence insufficiency (difficulty coordinating both eyes to focus on nearby objects) can disrupt the normal functioning of the visual system. When these conditions are present, the eyes may struggle to work together efficiently, exacerbating the sensory mismatch that contributes to motion sickness.

Vision Therapy for Motion Sickness

Vision therapy is a specialized form of visual rehabilitation that retrains how the eyes and brain communicate with each other. It involves a personalized program of eye exercises and activities designed to enhance eye coordination, tracking, and focus. When it comes to motion sickness, vision therapy can play an important role in addressing the underlying visual issues that can contribute to the condition by accomplishing the following goals:

• Strengthening Eye Muscles – Vision therapy exercises often target the muscles responsible for eye movement and coordination. By engaging in activities that promote the strength and flexibility of these muscles, individuals can enhance their ability to maintain visual focus and reduce strain during motion.
• Improving Eye-Body Coordination – Vision therapy also helps strengthen the connection between the eyes and the body’s movements. Activities that enhance eye-body coordination can help individuals adapt more effectively to changes in their visual environment. This can help reduce the likelihood of experiencing motion sickness.
• Enhancing Depth Perception – Conditions like strabismus can impact depth perception, making it difficult for the eyes to work together in perceiving distances accurately. Vision therapy exercises can improve depth perception, allowing individuals to better judge spatial relationships and reduce the disorienting effects of conflicting visual signals.
• Correcting Convergence Insufficiency – Convergence insufficiency, where the eyes struggle to work together as a team, can contribute to eye strain and discomfort during tasks like reading or focusing on nearby objects. Vision therapy can target these issues, promoting more efficient eye teaming and reducing the likelihood of visual discomfort that may contribute to motion sickness.

Family Vision Development Center for Vision Therapy

The team at Family Vision Development Center has advanced training in vision therapy treatment options. If you find that motion sickness is disrupting your daily activities, come in for a consultation so we can determine the best options for you. Each vision therapy program is individualized according to your specific needs so we can target the exact underlying visual issues with the appropriate exercises. Contact us at 630-862-2020 to learn more about the benefits of vision therapy for eliminating the bothersome effects of motion sickness.

Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, sports vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear.

Beware of the Increased Risk of Concussions During Winter Conditions

There are a lot of reasons to enjoy winter. After all, it’s the time of joyous holidays and beautiful, snow-covered landscapes. However, it can also bring an increased risk of concussions and that is something to take seriously. At Family Vision Development Center, our priority is protecting and caring for our patients’ vision. Because the colder months can present their own set of hazards that can lead to head injuries – and those injuries can greatly impact a person’s vision – we feel it is important to make you aware of the potential risks of concussions during this time of year, as well as provide information about what to do following an injury.

Potential Winter Hazards

This winter, be aware of the following risks that can lead to concussions:

• Slippery surfaces – Winter is synonymous with icy sidewalks, snowy driveways, and slippery roads. The increased likelihood of slips and falls on these surfaces raises the risk of head injuries and concussions. Walking outside, even for a moment, can pose a slip-and-fall hazard, as ice may not be clearly visible. And driving can certainly be more dangerous during periods of snow and reduced traction, which can lead to an increased risk of auto accidents.
• Winter Sports – Activities like skiing, snowboarding, and ice hockey are popular winter pastimes, but they also carry an inherent risk of head injuries. Collisions, falls, and abrupt stops common in these sports can result in concussions. It is crucial to wear appropriate protective gear, including helmets, to mitigate these risks.
• Reduced Visibility – Winter weather often brings reduced visibility due to fog, snowfall, or early darkness. Impaired visibility increases the chances of accidents, falls, and collisions, subsequently elevating the risk of concussions.

Visual Concerns Following Concussions

While the immediate symptoms of a concussion often include headaches, dizziness, and confusion, the effects on vision are not always as apparent. Here are some ways concussions can affect vision:

• Eye focusing – not being able to quickly and easily see an object clearly (objects look blurry)
• Eye Movements and Tracking – not able to easily follow a moving object from one spot to another, or switch fixation from one object to another. Sometimes this can be reported by students saying that words are moving on the page.
• Depth Perception Issues – difficulty with accurately judging the distance between objects.
• Eye Teaming – not able to get both eyes to work together to focus on an object, often reported as double vision
• Peripheral Vision Loss – problems with your wide-angle field of vision, or feeling like you’re looking through a narrow tube

In addition to the visual issues mentioned above, any of the following symptoms can be an indicator of a possible concussion:

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness or balance problems
• Confusion or forgetfulness
• Loss of consciousness
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Feeling sluggish, groggy or slowed down
• Mood or personality changes
• A general feeling that something is not right
• Difficulty with sleep

Family Vision for Post-Concussive Visual Rehabilitation

The Family Vision team has specialized training in post-concussive neuro-optometric rehabilitation. We can customize this special type of vision therapy program to target the concussion symptoms you are experiencing in order to restore visual abilities. Those who have experienced a head injury often have difficulty participating in normal, daily activities that once were accomplished easily. It is our passion to help those patients return to their daily lives and continue to pursue their interests.  Contact us at 630-862-2020 to get more information or to schedule a consultation.

Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, sports vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear.