Our eyes are always moving. These subtle movements enable us to focus on text and moving objects. When your eyes are not functioning properly, your quality of life can be significantly affected. Whether you’re experiencing sudden eye-tracking problems or it’s been a recurring issue, it’s important to understand the underlying cause so that you can receive proper treatment.
Savedoff, Ciccone & Davis, Doctors of Optometry, P.C. specializes in visual health and the treatment of visual disorders in Manlius and Syracuse, New York. Here, we discuss the causes of eye tracking problems, their symptoms, and how treatment, such as vision therapy, can improve your vision and overall quality of life.
Eye tracking, also known as visual tracking or oculomotor function, is the eyes’ ability to follow moving objects or move from left to right quickly. With healthy vision, this movement is automatic, smooth, and effortless. It is an essential part of daily activities, including reading, driving, processing visual information, and playing sports.
Efficient eye tracking enables you to scan your environment, read signs, and gauge where you are. Eye movements that are slower than normal or require external cues may indicate a problem with your eye tracking. If you have an eye-tracking problem, you may notice the following symptoms:
Oculomotor dysfunction occurs when there is a neurological event that interferes with the brain’s ability to coordinate the movement of the eyes. This results in an inability for your eyes to follow, fixate, or move from spot to spot accurately. While this dysfunction can affect many parts of your daily life, it most commonly impacts your ability to read, pay attention, write legibly, and perform optimally in athletics, academics, or professional settings.
Each eye has six muscles around it that work together to control eye movement. When these muscles don’t work together, eye-tracking problems can occur. These issues usually affect the following:
In adults, eye-tracking problems can be caused by neurological conditions, aging, lifestyle, ocular diseases, or vision disorders, such as Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD), Strabismus, or lazy eye. In children, eye-tracking problems can be caused by developmental delays, concussions, or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and can be misdiagnosed as learning disorders, such as dyslexia.
Medication or Lasik surgery can’t fix eye-tracking problems. Additionally, while optical lenses, reading glasses, or bifocals can be helpful in reducing symptoms, they cannot correct the problem or fix the underlying issue. Vision therapy is an effective treatment that works to strengthen and coordinate the muscles around your eyes and the connection between your vision system and your brain.
Vision therapy is a non-invasive, personalized program that uses various techniques, instruments, and exercises to strengthen the eye-brain connection. At Savedoff, Ciccone & Davis, Doctors of Optometry, P.C., we perform comprehensive assessments to get a complete picture of your visual health. This evaluation allows us to assess your eye movements, visual acuity, and overall eye health. With this insight, we can create a treatment plan tailored to your needs. We use lenses, filters, occluders, computer programs, and prisms to help our patients improve their eye tracking.
Our evidence-based approach strengthens the neural connections between the brain and the eyes to improve your visual skills. Our specialized programs help retrain your visual system, improve eye coordination, and strengthen your visual processing skills. We may also address any lifestyle changes, such as taking regular screen breaks or managing stress.
When you choose us for vision therapy, you’ll work one-on-one with one of our certified Doctors of Optometry. Each session is conducted under their supervision, and they may provide you with at-home exercises you can do to help strengthen your ocular muscles. This methodology helps our patients improve their eye-tracking ability, which provides a boost to their daily lives.
With vision therapy, our patients can see an improvement in their:
Healthy vision goes beyond having 20-20 eyesight. Eye tracking and other visual skills are important parts of having strong visual acuity. Normal eye tracking is essential for everyday life. If you are experiencing sudden eye-tracking problems, have trouble reading, or can’t focus, you may benefit from vision therapy.
Savedoff, Ciccone & Davis, Doctors of Optometry, P.C. can help you achieve better vision. Our specialists provide comprehensive eye services in the Syracuse and Manlius, NY, areas. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed optometrists and get on the path to better vision.
