The National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, released a statement concerning the effectiveness of office-based vision therapy for treatment of Convergence Insufficiency. Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, FCOVD, has completed the 12-week study, known as the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT), found that approximately 75 percent of those who received in-office therapy by a trained therapist plus at-home treatment reported fewer and less severe symptoms related to reading and other near work after the office-based vision therapy.
"This NEI-funded study compared the effectiveness of treatment options for convergence insufficiency," said Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of the NEI. "The CITT will provide eye care professionals with the research they need to assist children with this condition."
"There are no visible signs of this condition; it can only be detected and diagnosed during a comprehensive eye examination," said principal investigator Mitchell Scheiman, O.D., FCOVD, of Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University near Philadelphia, PA. "However, as this study shows, once diagnosed, CI can be successfully treated with office-based vision therapy by a trained therapist along with at-home reinforcement."
(above from Web site of College of Optometrists in Vision Development, http://covd.org.)
The study was one of the largest of its kind, bringing a significant vision issue, treated by optometry, to the national limelight.
Results were published in 2008, showing that optometric-based vision therapy for treatment of convergence insufficiency resulted in fewer symptoms for children while reading. Behavioral symptoms of convergence insufficiency include: difficulty concentrating while reading, eye discomfort, headaches, double vision when reading, eye rubbing and avoidance of near work.
Parents and teachers need to be aware of this condition, it affects up to 25% of school-aged kids that have "reading issues"!