Researchers at Saarland University have developed a new therapy for “binocular fusion dysfunction,” a condition that disrupts the brain’s ability to merge images from both eyes, causing vision problems. This condition affects around 20% of stroke patients and up to 50% of those with brain injuries. The therapy involves a six-week training program that helps improve coordination between the eyes. After the training, all participants showed significant improvement in merging images and depth perception. The findings also suggest that damaged brain areas could recover with appropriate therapy.

Functional vision problems can significantly affect a child’s performance in reading, writing, and arithmetic. These issues are often not detected by standard school vision screenings but can greatly impact a child’s academic and social life. Vision problems can hinder a student’s ability to recognize and remember numbers and letters, affecting comprehension. It may also lead to difficulties in deciphering decimals and signs in math, and challenges in writing in a straight line or distinguishing similar-shaped letters. To identify these issues, it is recommended to seek advice from a developmental optometrist for a comprehensive functional vision assessment.

Functional vision issues, which involve the brain, eyes and visual pathways working together, can cause difficulties in reading and writing for children. These problems may not be detected by conventional eye examinations and can include poor convergence, laterality, form discrimination, span of recognition, visualization, tracking, orientation, and focusing. Vision therapy, involving exercises and various tools, is an effective treatment for improving these underperforming visual skills.