How We Help People With Light Sensitivity

Are you suffering under the oppressive glare of your office’s fluorescent lights? You are not alone. Fluorescent lighting is uncomfortable for many people, but those with vertical heterophoria who are especially sensitive to light may find it particularly unbearable.

Light Sensitivity

In today’s post, we explain the connection between vertical heterophoria and light sensitivity, and discuss how our treatment options can alleviate the discomfort you feel in brightly lit spaces.

Vertical Heterophoria

Your visual system is a well-oiled machine with many moving parts that are all crucial to your eyesight. Integral to your ability to see clearly is the precise vertical alignment of your eyes. If this alignment is disrupted, which can happen as a result of a head injury or due to a genetic condition, your eyes will no longer move in sync with each other. This means that your extraocular muscles – tiny muscles that control the movement of your eyes – have to work very hard to correct the misalignment.

Eventually, your extraocular muscles will become strained and fatigued from all the work they’re having to do. This can lead to a range of uncomfortable symptoms such as sensitivity to light, headaches, dizziness, anxiety and trouble concentrating. This condition is known as vertical heterophoria.

How to Alleviate Light Sensitivity

Light sensitivity is one of the most common symptoms of vertical heterophoria. Unfortunately, bright lights are often an unavoidable part of our daily existence, particularly for people working in traditional office buildings.

Our innovative treatment for vertical heterophoria uses custom aligning prismatic lenses to correct the misalignment in your eyes. While this treatment helps to significantly reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of vertical heterophoria, some patients still experience discomfort in bright lighting. In addition to wearing our specialized prismatic lenses, we recommend taking the following steps to alleviate your light sensitivity.

Turn off the fluorescent lights. If possible, we recommend shutting off your fluorescent lights and instead using floor lamps that emit softer, incandescent lighting.
Rest your eyes frequently. If you have to work at your computer for long periods of time, we suggest taking frequent breaks. Every 20 minutes, focus your eyes on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Invest in tinted or filtered lenses. We can prescribe special tinted or filtered lenses that you can use while working in your office or other bright spaces. These lenses help deflect the bright glare from your computer, improving comfort.
Adjust the monitor settings on your computer. You can increase the text size on your computer to make it easier to read. You can also adjust the brightness of your monitor to a more comfortable setting.

Contact Us for Guidance

If you are suffering from light sensitivity, or any other common symptoms of vertical heterophoria, we highly recommend coming to Neuro Visual Center of New York for a comprehensive Neuro Visual Exam. Our speciality aligning lenses can correct the misalignment in your eyes and drastically enhance your quality of life. Call us today at (516) 224-4888 to schedule an appointment.

Testimonials

Prior to being treated by Dr. Cheryl, I constantly felt off balance. I had suffered from frequent migraines since I was 12 years old. I often suffered from neck/ back pain, and always felt like I was straining my neck and/or tilting my head to focus on the computer. My family had always noticed that I walked a bit sideways as well, but they attributed that to me being "clumsy". I had awful anxiety about walking down flights of stairs or through the mall, as I always had this irrational fear of falling. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and depression, as I would tend to avoid social situations where I felt uncomfortable or not in control. At my annual eye exam, Dr. Cheryl asked how my migraines had been. I casually mentioned that I was having dizzy spells and felt off balance. As Dr. Cheryl went through a series of questions, it seemed like she was reading off a script of my symptoms. She started to explain binocular vision dysfunction and asked if I would consider a neuro visual test that may be able to determine if I was a candidate for the type of treatment she was involved in. I was skeptical, but desperate. The tests administered by Dr. Cheryl produced black and white, concrete results. I was blown away by how clear it was that this "visual vertigo" I was experiencing was not only completely legitimate, but treatable. My skepticism disappeared immediately when Dr. Cheryl had me wear a trial pair of glasses with prisms in them. I felt taller, grounded, and completely in control. My glasses have made a tremendous difference in my everyday life. I feel balanced and aware of my surroundings. I no longer catch myself tilting my head while reading through pages of documents on my computer, or tilting my head to get a better view of the TV. It is more than a change in my prescription or a "clearer view," it is an entire perspective change. I have not had a single migraine in 6 months - I am still in shock when I say those words. My dizzy spells have subsided, as well. When I am not wearing my glasses, which is rare, I can immediately feel the difference in my equilibrium. I would never have guessed that all of these symptoms and subsequent issues, were vision related. Dr. Cheryl was 100% supportive and genuinely concerned about my comfort and progress throughout this whole journey. I would, without hesitation, recommend her to anyone that suffers from these symptoms. She is a true life saver and is passionate about investing her time and energy into this growing field.

A. S.

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About Dr. Cheryl Berger Israeloff

Testimonials