Eye coordination* is the ability of both eyes to work together as a team. Each eye sees an ever so slightly different image and your brain, by a process called fusion, blends the two images into one 3-dimensional picture. Good eye coordination keeps the eyes in proper alignment. A minor misalignment of the eyes can cause symptoms.

Good eye coordination is a skill that must be developed. Poor eye coordination results from a lack of adequate vision development or improperly developed eye muscle control. Although rare, an injury, disease, amblyopia, a tumor or other trauma can cause poor eye coordination.

Since the images seen by each eye must be virtually the same, a patient with poor eye coordination can have vision problems. A patient with poor eye muscle control will subconsciously exert extra effort on the muscles to maintain proper alignment of the eyes. This can cause eye muscle strain. In more severe cases, the eye muscle cannot adjust the eyes so that the same image is seen and double vision occurs. Since the brain will try to avoid seeing double, it will eventually learn to ignore the image sent by one eye. This can result in amblyopia, a serious vision condition commonly referred to as "lazy eye".

Some symptoms that indicate that poor eye coordination may exist include double vision, headaches, eye fatigue, irritability, dizziness and difficulty in reading and concentrating. Children may also display characteristics such as covering one eye, head tilting, skipping lines and losing their place when reading, poor sports performance, avoiding tasks that require close work and tiring easily.

Poor eye coordination is often successfully treated through vision therapy, contact lenses and/or other optical aids. If detected early enough, the success rate for achieving proper eye coordination is quite high. In some cases, eye coordination will improve when other vision conditions are corrected like nearsightedness or farsightedness. In extreme cases, surgery may be necessary.

Poor eye coordination can be difficult to detect. If symptoms are suspected, a comprehensive optometric eye health examination will determine the extent, if any, of poor eye coordination. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment will result in the best outcome.

I hope to see you in our practice soon.

Sandra Rafael, OD