KG89

I would say that it is highly unlikely that patching the non-dominant eye will help you with your binocular vision, since if you have trouble with your binocular vision it can have many reason, but it is pretty rare that a weak or less engaged dominant eye is the cause. If you have a weak eye it is most likely your non-dominant eye so patching the dominant could help.

However, most of the time problems with binocular vision are due to the effect that both eyes could not work properly together which is best trained with both eyes open. @martin described some possibilities her which is also difficult for adults. Binocular vision issues can be caused by so many reasons that even hip, jaw, shoulder imbalances can play a huge role.

For most people who cover one eye it is most comfortable to cover their non-dominant eye, since you don't have to adapt when patching and when taken the patch of. Maybe when patching regularly you eyes are more relaxed than now and you can get some minutes/hours extra with both eyes before that become fatigued again.

I would try patching both eyes and give it some time and learn whats best for yourself even if that sounds boring.

    Here's my current plan, does this seem like it would be useful to see if there are any improvements?

    -Patch dominant eye for 1 week, taking note of symptoms (When they occur and how intense they are)

    -Then, patch non-dominant eye for 1 week, while doing the same symptom tracking.

    I'll be using the patch for at least 4-5 hours per day, while using my problematic computer.

    Any suggestions for this plan?

    mike

    That's interesting. My assumption would be that you'd have to patch the dominant eye to give the weaker eye a chance to train itself, but I'm seeing a lot of people saying they've had luck training the dominant eye instead. Like others said, it seems that dominant eye vs non-dominant is unrelated to vision quality. There's so much we need to learn about this theory 😐️

        A book I would definitely recommend is Fixing my Gaze by Susan R. Barry. She was stereo-blind since birth and eventually gained complete stereo-vision. It also contains a few exercises (the usual IIRC) but nether-the-less is an inspiring read.

        Does everybody on the list have physically straight eyes? There are various reasons for stereo-blindness and I'm interested to know if the eyes for other people here actually deviate physically or appear straight? The level of correction needed would be different for somebody with seemingly straight eyes vs. a physical issue preventing both eyes to focus on the same point.

          diop

          My left eye is physically higher than my right eye.

          In my morning I sometimes wake up to minor diplopia. The vision from my left eye has to "come down" and the vision from the right eye has to "come up" so that the image fuses. When this occurs, it happens with every blink and only fixes itself when I am fully woken up.

          To me it seems like it means something, although my previous optometrist denied vertical heterophoria.

          Edit: I got the audiobook of Fixing My Gaze. Looking forward to the listen. The preview had me really engrossed already.

            AGI my experience is exactly like yours. Although at night i use a bright led book lamp reading kindle on my samsung z fold 3 while patched.

            • AGI replied to this.
            • AGI likes this.

                I want to add here that despite almost 3 years of visual therapy by now, this method also works for me. I have far less issues now using both eyes with new displays than before, but I still get vertigo and dizziness and pain around eyes especially when trying to work with text for longer periods on new devices.When I patch one eye or alternate them, the issue is almost gone (using only one eye is exhausting in its own different way, but the muscle pain and headaches do not emerge).

                I found this article - https://www.newjerseyeyesite.com/2015/03/10/lazy-eye-is-patching-effective/

                There is a chance that patching one of your eyes rests the whole binocular system and allows you to work with both eyes on new tech for longer periods later also. Most people with BVD have already strained vision even during daily tasks, they just dont realize it, since it has always been like that.

                bkdo

                It sounds like a good plan.

                For me it’s more to find the right mode so our brains starts reprogram/relearn how to watch a screen, or what happened for me.

                I haven’t been so focused on which eye that are the dominant eye or not, and I look with both eyes open, then I patch with something only for the screen.

                  Mrak0020

                  Thanks! I did not know that.

                  SunnyD Did you try to use the eye-patch during the day with natural light? Next, I want to try that and see if I still see the shadow. I also want to try the eye-patch on the left eye.

                        AGI yes i patch in the daytime too and don't get the shadowing effect afterwards.

                        • AGI replied to this.

                            This is a bit interesting:

                            “ it is not uncommon for a person we diagnose with BVD to have been told repeatedly by other optometrists that their vision is entirely ‘normal.’”
                            https://www.neurovisionaustin.com/2020/02/24/how-is-binocular-vision-dysfunction-diagnosed/

                            “ In some instances, an eye patch may need to be worn over the dominant eye. This helps strengthen the weaker eye over time. Depending on the severity of the condition, this may be the only course of action needed at this time. Patients may only need to wear the eye patch for a short period of time in order to achieve satisfactory results.”
                            https://www.dizzinessandheadache.com/blog/binocular-vision-dysfunction.html

                            SunnyD I did cover the other eye - the left one - last night. I was quite surprised by how smooth the reading was. I always thought that was my weak eye but I could not tell the difference. Actually, it was probably easier to read with the right eye patched than the vice versa. I also confirmed that with my left eye I could read from closer. I wonder if that is due to the minimal astigmatism of my left eye. I once read that minimal astigmatism is often better not corrected because it somehow facilitates accommodation while reading.

                            I read for about 45 minutes and when I turned off the light the shadow effect was there, so it is eye-independent. I still need to try using the eye-patch during day time.

                              Just wanted to add that I am trying a second type of eye patch that I can mount on my glasses with neutral lenses and blue filter. Covering the right eye makes the reading less clear at the distance my laptop screen is (~45-50 cm). The focus is much neater if I put the patch on the left eye. I assume this noticeable difference to reading from my Kindle while in bed is due to the increased distance from the reading source (I estimate I keep my Kindle at 30-35 cm). Fortunately, in the office there are fluorescent overhead lights of the old type rather than LEDs as at home. However, I still get the "shadow effect" when I remove the patch after more than 30 minutes of practice, even if the I am not looking up against the lights as when I am in bed. The effect is less pronounced and fades more quickly, though.

                              I just want to add that using only one eye helps me with most backlit screens, be it OLED or LCD. But, it has no effect on how I see projectors or frontlit displays (E-ink).

                              Has anyone considered that LED backlit displays themselves may be causing the impaired binocular vision?

                              Perhaps it's through excess binocular fatigue just during use, or actual binocular degradation over time.

                                cizeta for me it is solely some new displays and they break my otherwise good vergence immediately.
                                So yes, that is my default theory

                                  xelaos yeah, I didn't know how to make that part clear.
                                  I do not still have a problem with e-ink and projector screens. However, covering one eye and viewing them doesn't change what they look like, vs. how I can immediately tell the difference on most LCDs and OLEDs when I use one eye (regardless of fatigue).
                                  I guess what I'm trying to say is, the purely visual difference between using one vs. two eyes is not there with indirect-light displays.

                                    Today is Day 7 of using a patch on my dominant eye. I bought a cheap eyepatch from Amazon, and have used it at least 4-5 hours per day while using problematic screens. Here are my impressions so far:

                                    Devices used for the week: 2021 MacBook Pro 14", OLED LG TV, iPad 7th Gen. All caused the usual symptoms (gritty eyes, eye strain, headaches, pulsing feeling above eyes, dizziness, etc) with normal use without wearing a patch.

                                    • While patched, I'm able to use problematic screens for longer periods of time without symptoms.

                                    • When I do get symptoms, they're definitely less painful and less noticeable. For example, without the patch, I would frequently get a pulsing migraine-ish pain above my eyes while using problematic screens. This occurred less often with the patch and was much less painful when it did occur. Also, it seems to clear up faster.

                                    • I've noticed very little side effects from using a patch for 4-5 hours a day. I also spoke to my opthalmologist and she said that there shouldn't be any cause for concern regarding overuse of the patch in my case. My uncovered eye has gotten more tired than usual, but that seems to be a side effect of using it much more than usual.

                                      To summarize: the patch seemingly reduces my symptoms and lets me use problematic screens for longer periods of time. I still get the usual symptoms, though they seem to be less painful and clear up a bit more quickly.

                                      I'm going to finish out the day, then take a day completely off of screens tomorrow. Then, I'm going to spend a week with the patch on my non-dominant eye and see if there's any difference in symptoms.

                                      IMO, this is absolutely worth exploring further. I've spent four years now trying as many possible solutions as I could think of, and this is the first thing that's actually made some kind of tangible difference. I'm interested to see what happens when I patch my non-dominant eye, I'm really hoping it lessens the symptoms even further.

                                    diop My eyes are physically straight. I've heard good things about Fixing My Gaze, probably will pick up a copy soon. In the meantime, what exercises are recommended? I'm new to this. Is there a YouTube video or something similar showing what to do?

                                      For those who are interested which binocular problem they have and why it is reduced during the time when they cover their eyes this video explains what could happen with your eyes while one eye is covered and how to describe it.

                                      I guess you could do it yourself with a recording of yourself or asking for someone to observe your eyes.

                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCS5fFodq3g&ab_channel=CarrickInstitute

                                        dev