How Can BVD Impact Your Daily Life?

Binocular Vision Dysfunction, or BVD for short, is a very common condition that occurs when the eyes aren’t perfectly aligned. As a result, they can’t work in perfect synchronization easily, which can cause painful and debilitating symptoms. It may not be considered a serious condition, but it can have a tremendous impact on various areas of your day-to-day life.

Here are some of the ways in which BVD can make your life more difficult than it needs to be:

 

BVD And Driving

Many people who suffer from BVD find that driving is significantly more stressful than it should be. One of the main reasons for this is that when you have BVD, any excessive visual stimuli can be overwhelming as the brain struggles to process what your eyes are seeing. When you drive, or even when you are a passenger in a vehicle, there is an abundance of visual stimuli, many of which are moving at high speed. As the brain struggles to cope with sensory overload, people with the condition often experience dizziness, nausea, anxiety, and even full-scale panic attacks. This can make traveling extremely difficult, and in the case of being the driver of a vehicle, dangerous.

BVD And Large, Loud And Busy Spaces

In a similar way, people who suffer from binocular vision dysfunction can also find it hard to cope in certain types of environments – more specifically very large, loud, or busy spaces such as shopping centers, theaters, and airports. Again, the reason for this is an overload of visual stimulation that makes it hard for their brain to process what they are seeing. When this is combined with loud noises, it can heighten the effect, causing symptoms including dizziness, nausea, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, and even panic attacks.

BVD And Education

BVD can also have a considerable impact on school performance. As much as 80% of what is taught in schools is presented in a visual format and unsurprisingly, this means that those children with the condition can find the school environment particularly challenging. Learning to read is just the tip of the iceberg, as children also need to develop their visual skills to tell shapes, numbers, colors, read visual cues and interact appropriately with their peers and teachers. Those children with BVD who go undiagnosed are much more likely to struggle at school, develop behavior problems because of their frustrations and fail to reach their full potential. In fact, many children are mistakenly diagnosed with conditions such as dyslexia or ADHD, instead of BVD.

BVD And Digital Device Use

There’s no doubt that we are spending more time using digital devices than ever before. But whether we are working or studying or simply enjoying recreational time using a computer, smartphone, or other digital devices, spending time looking at screens puts a real strain on our eyes. There are several reasons for this. First, we tend to view screens from a less than optimal distance – not as close as we would hold a book, but nearer than focusing on an object that is a distance away. Secondly, we naturally blink less when using digital screens. And finally, the light emitted by screens can be harsh on our eyes. These effects are only compounded when someone has BVD, making the symptoms of a common condition known as digital eye strain even more severe. Signs include eye fatigue, dryness, soreness, irritation, blurred vision, headaches, and neck strain.

 

If you are worried that you may be affected by BVD and you would like more information on what can be done to help you combat the condition and live life without compromise, please take our Free Online Self Test or contact our friendly and knowledgeable team with The Dizziness and Headache Optometry Center in Santa Barbara, California at (805) 626-3400.
 

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