Convergence Insufficiency, commonly referred to in the medical community as CI eye disorder, is a condition that causes a person's eyes to drift outward and lose focus when looking at close-up objects. The condition can affect their ability to converge – a term for the ability to rotate eyes towards each other- be inadequate. The National Eye Institute has reported that proper refractive correction and similar visual treatments could improve the vision of nearly 150 million Americans living with CI and other visual disorders. Here is what you need to know about Convergence Insufficiency.

Symptoms of Convergence Insufficiency to Know

People with CI may have symptoms that show themselves when the individual attempts to do any sort of close-up work, Things like reading, typing, working on a computer, watching TV, sewing, painting, playing video games, and other similar activities can be difficult and even painful.

Symptoms of a more physical nature that can occur with Convergence Insufficiency include

• Performance-related: poor concentration, slow reading, errors in writing, and poor hand-eye coordination
• Eye-related: lazy eye, diplopia, blurred vision, eye pain, and headaches

Normally, the human eye is designed to converge on objects that can be as close as 1 inch from the nose. People living with Convergence Insufficiency can have trouble converging and maintaining eye alignment when focused on up-close items.

Diagnosis and Causes of Convergence Insufficiency

Convergence Insufficiency is not an issue with muscle weakness, rather, it is considered a neuromuscular deficiency. This means the nerves that govern the muscle function of the eye are unable to compensate for the poor convergence and cannot react normally. CI is a common eye condition in both children and adults and both males and females seem to be just as likely to develop the condition. Aside from a marked and defined injury to the head or eyes, it is not fully known why some people develop CI.

Final Thoughts Regarding Convergence Insufficiency

What is known is that between 4 and 17 percent of children and adults end up being diagnosed with some degree of this visual disorder (per the CDC). CI usually most commonly occurs in childhood. The disorder can develop and worsen later in life. It can persist for years, but there are treatments available that can help retrain the eyes to converge properly.

However, even with treatment, there can be some underlying issues and symptoms associated with Convergence Insufficiency that can persist for the rest of a person's life. To learn more about CI, contact your health care provider and discuss any symptoms that concern you.