What is Vertical Heterophoria?

Vertical heterophoria (VH) is a type of binocular vision disorder that occurs when the eyes are misaligned and can lead to a number of symptoms you may not immediately connect with your eyes. This misalignment, which can be very small, leads to the straining and overuse of the eye muscles. This leads to the symptoms of BVD such as headaches and dizziness. Patients are often misdiagnosed as having vertigo and migraine disorder.

If you’ve been feeling off-balance both mentally and physically, the issue might not be the food you eat, the hours you work or your day-to-day habits; the root of your problem could extend to your eyes. Dr. Cheryl Berger Israeloff of the Neuro Visual Center of New York not only specializes in diagnosing VH and other binocular vision disorders, but in treating them as well.

Common Symptoms of VH

Vertical Heterophoria Treatment Explained

Your VH symptoms can come in waves throughout the day, leading you to feel 100 percent one moment and as if you’ve been locked in a centrifuge the next. Your headaches and dizziness can be brought on by:

Quickly standing from a seated position
Moving your head from side to side
Rapidly straightening yourself after bending over
Riding in the passenger seat
Rounding curves while in a car
Driving at high speeds with other cars whizzing by on the side

In addition to these triggers, you could also be experiencing nausea, an unsteady walking stride or motion and car sickness. You might also find yourself drifting as you’re walking down down a hallway or feeling as though you’re being pulled into someone else’s stride when walking next to them, as if by a magnet. One thing to take note of is that some of these symptoms are also shared by individuals who have an inner ear disorder, MS, sequela of a stroke or Meniere’s disease. This is one reason Dr. Israeloff is so thorough when it comes to diagnosing your binocular vision dysfunction.

Shoulder, Head and Neck Pain Symptoms

medical eye test Unfortunately, the above symptoms aren’t the only ones linked to VH. Additional indications that you might have a binocular vision disorder include headaches pounding at your temples, forehead or at the back of your head. These headaches can vary in both intensity and general location. You could also experience pain whenever you move your eyes.

Additionally, those with VH often report experiencing pressure or a sensation of heaviness at the crown of their heads. This pressure can be compared to a sinus pain and can also throb its way down to your jaw region. Reports also include aching in your neck and shoulders due to a head tilt. This head tilt can be frequently quite obvious.

Driving and Anxiety

Many patients with a binocular vision dysfunction such as VH experience problems while driving or have anxiety in the car. Specifically, you may experience the following while behind the wheel:

Perceiving stationary objects at the edges of your vision as moving images.
Trouble coming to a complete stop at lights and signs. Your dizziness can make it seem as though the sign is moving or that your vehicle is rolling backward while your foot is on the brake.
Growing concern about experiencing a bout of dizziness while you’re driving due to the anxiety caused by VH, which can be alleviated through treatment for dizziness.

Other indications associated with the anxiety triggered by VH are:

Feeling uneasy while in a space with tall ceilings, which can lead to sensory overload or a disorientation due to the flood of visual stimuli.
The faces of people in a packed crowd causing you to become dizzy.
Crippled mental health due to general anxiety.

Get Successful Diagnosing and Treatment

You don’t have to feel as though you’re constantly functioning at 50 percent. See if you’re a candidate for prismatic lenses by calling a representative of the Neuro Visual Center of New York at 516-224-4888. If you like, you can also fill out our questionnaire and we’ll be sure to get back in touch with you ASAP.

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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