anon123 I want to give this eyepatch thing a try but I'm too scared to destroy my uncovered eye.

IMO you don't need to worry about your uncovered eye - plenty of us here are using an eyepatch for hours a day (only up 4 hours though) and experience no issues with our uncovered eye.

However, people on this thread have raised the issue about the covered eye - see AGI's and KM's latest posts.

I personally cover the eye that hurts more, because that way I'm able to use my screens for much longer.

anon123 I was wondering if the covered eye should stay still or follow the movement of the other eye

You mean, whether you should consciously move the covered eye? I don't think you should, and I don't think it'd be even possible.

      An update on my situation:

      tldr: Still doing well with the patch, hopefully seeing a neuro-opthalmologist to get answers to the questions

      -Been using the eyepatch on my right eye , ~4-5 hours max usage per day. Still experiencing reduced symptoms while & and after wearing the patch, and I haven't had any negative side effects aside from the normal slight strain that comes from using just one eye.

      -Spoke with my opthalmologist, I'm hopefully getting a referral to a Neuro-opthalmologist where I can explore the potential BVD/convergence issue further.

      -I tried a different test with the eyepatch based on Mike's suggestion. I had the eyepatch set up so it covered half of the right eye, so only my left eye could see the screen + flicker. The right eye could only see the peripheral view, if that makes sense. This made it so I was only getting exposure to flicker with one eye, but not breaking binocular fusion. I noticed that I didn't have the same level of symptom relief as when I fully covered the eye, meaning that my issue could potentially be related to binocular fusion. I'll be asking the doctor about this as well.

      -I bought a Brock String and have been messing around with it. I don't have any issues with the exercises, and I'm able to keep each bead in focus with no problems. Not sure if I should keep using it.

      -I'm still very hopeful that pursuing the BVD issue will lead to some kind of explanation for our symptoms, I'll post back here if I learn anything new that may help 😀

        bkdo

        -I tried a different test with the eyepatch based on Mike's suggestion. I had the eyepatch set up so it covered half of the right eye, so only my left eye could see the screen + flicker. The right eye could only see the peripheral view, if that makes sense. This made it so I was only getting exposure to flicker with one eye, but not breaking binocular fusion. I noticed that I didn't have the same level of symptom relief as when I fully covered the eye, meaning that my issue could potentially be related to binocular fusion. I'll be asking the doctor about this as well.

        I had the similar experience. You could also use polarisation glases (different one each eye) + polarisation foil on a screen to have a similar effect (block only the screen) which also didn't help me.

            xelaos

            That's very encouraging to hear that you had a similar experience. This is my impression, based on what my optometrist said about the eyepatch:

            I was actually hoping that doing that test didn't help, because then it would potentially point to it being an issue of exposure, rather than BVD. If patching only works because it's simply reducing the amount of flicker hitting our eyes, then there's really not much we can do beyond just patching (At this time, at least. Maybe we'll find a solution for that as well in the future). Since we still get symptoms with this test, I think it implies that the issue is with binocular fusion, since this test should theoretically keep fusion intact while blocking flicker. If the issue is BVD, there are definitely many potential treatment options. I think, lol.

              Sorry for the double post - just wanted to give a progress update.

              I spoke to my optometrist again regarding the patching + suppression theory:

              -I explained that no patch is a 10/10 (1 being no symptoms, 10 being the worst) for symptoms from a flickering screen. Wearing a patch on the right eye reduces symptoms to 4/10. Wearing a patch just so that it covers the flicker but allows for peripheral vision is more like a 7/10. He very cautiously said this could indicate an issue with binocular vision, since I experienced more relief by completely shutting the eye off with the patch. He said something to the effect of "There's nothing factually wrong with what you said. It makes logical sense, but I can't make any medical determinations. It's possible that the right pair of glasses could address the BVD and help with the flicker issue, but I'm not sure how likely it is". I was referred to a BVD specialist and will be seeing them soon.

              -I also explained the eye suppression theory, where we may potentially have a suppressed eye that is being "woken up" by flickering screens. He didn't seem very receptive to this theory, though. I'm seeing him in person soon, so I'll try to get more info on this.

              In my opinion, I think it would be really helpful to see everyone else's results with the half-patch test. Basically, if normal usage of flickering screens causes you a 10/10 for symptoms, try wearing a patch and figure out which eye provides the most relief from symptoms. Then, once you have that, try the half-patch method and see if you get the same relief as the full patch. What I did is curve the patch so that my right eye had zero exposure to the flicker, but I could still see with peripheral vision. This should keep binocular fusion intact, and potentially indicate if BVD is the issue, not just flicker exposure.

              Here's a terrible quality mockup I made to show how it looks, lol.

              Basically, you just want to cut off one eye from seeing any flicker, while still being able to see the peripheral. If a ton of people have the same experience as I do (The half patch not giving as much relief as the full patch), we may have an actual lead to go on here with BVD or something similar.

                bkdo

                My problem seems different. I got the problem with screens after 1-2 Seconds. So it is more than just reducing the burden by 50%. It is reducing it to 2-5%. I don't think flicker specifically is my problem - maybe it contributes in various situations but I have the problem also on ereaders without backlight and on different websites/video resolutions on the same screen.

                In terms of too much activation:

                If I do it with my strong eye covered I have more I strain afterwards since my weak I seems to be more activated which is maybe similar to your experience.

                My optometrist thinks that my brain is switching between the image of both eyes all the time instead of using them both at the same time which creates many or just more micro adaptations than usual.

                    10 days later

                    TLDR: Got a new pair of lenses, they meaningfully reduce the symptoms in a similar way to the eyepatch 😀

                    I saw my optometrist about a week ago. Since he knew that the eyepatch helped with my flicker issues, I was recommended to get a new eye exam. I went through a more thorough exam than I've had before:

                    • The usual "which is better, 1 or 2? 2 or 3?" etc
                    • Was shown two sets of brackets and checked to see when they lined up properly
                    • Was shown a pair of lines and checked to see when they formed a "+" sign

                    After all of this, it was found I actually had two separate misalignments in my eyes, one vertical and one horizontal. I'm assuming this is why my previous prescription and Neurolens didn't really help, because they only accounted for one of the misalignments.

                    Anyway, I just received the lenses on Wednesday, and have been wearing them basically 24/7 since then. I definitely have some strain from trying to adjust, but I'm absolutely noticing a reduction in flicker sensitivity. For example, I used my problematic MacBook for 2-3 hours yesterday and the only symptom I had was some slight eye fatigue and a small headache. I'm hoping these symptoms disappear altogether as I get used to the lenses. And even if these lenses don't solve the issue 100%, this is a near-certain confirmation that BVD is the issue, which can hopefully be treated.

                    Given all of this info, I would HIGHLY suggest that anyone who feels relief from the eyepatch should see an optometrist and get a thorough eye exam with an emphasis on checking for prism issues. I was checked out multiple times by multiple optometrists over the years, and only now found out that I have two separate misalignments. It may not be the answer for everyone, but I wouldn't be surprised if a decent amount of us on here have similar eye misalignments or related issues.

                      bkdo
                      Great news, keep up the good work 😃

                        bkdo Terrific news, please keep us posted! Success stories are rare here. What were you like on the Macbook before these glasses?

                        From what I understand, Neurolens does measure vertical misalignments, but doesn't actually prescribe a value unless the doctor specifically notices it and writes it in. See this Reddit there where someone has Neurolens vertical correction. I have some serious doubts on the machine's capabilities though.

                        I ordered the Neurolens and will get them in 1-2 weeks...I have only horizontal correction but I do think I need vertical based on my tests. I only recently found out that the doctor needs to handle the vertical part specially. (The glasses + frames costs almost $1k USD, which is almost criminal, but it has money back guarantee).

                        It's possible vision therapy is required along with the glasses to get back to 100%.

                        I saw your initial Neurolens value was 3.0 BI....this is "total prism" that's split into each eye.

                        (I've been watching Women In Optometry seminars on the Neurolens, which is why I'm somewhat informed on them...Dr. Hazlewood has a great one here; and Dr. Zolman's is also great here).

                        • bkdo replied to this.

                            xelaos My optometrist thinks that my brain is switching between the image of both eyes all the time instead of using them both at the same time which creates many or just more micro adaptations than usual.

                            This is called alternating suppression and exactly what I have (read some about it here).

                            I got a pair of red-green glasses which help realize the issue. There are some anti-suppression techniques out there: https://www.bernell.com/category/Anti-Suppression. I use the TBI (TransLid-Binocular Interactor) which "flickers" light between the eyes a few times a second.

                                ryans

                                This MacBook would cause gritty eyes, headaches, and pretty bad eye fatigue if I used it for more than 30-60 mins. The pain would last for hours, sometimes even lasting overnight into the next day.

                                With these lenses, I've been able to use it for nearly 3 hours day and the worst I've had is a slightly prickly feeling in the eyes and a very slight pulsing in the temples, which disappears after a little bit of time.

                                I didn't have any luck with neurolens, but I think they're worth a shot, even just to have more data. It might be worth trying regular prism lenses first before spending the $700+ on Neurolens, though.

                                Either way, I'm experiencing a lot of relief with just standard lenses w/ prism, they're no more expensive than regular lenses and I'm fairly sure most optometrists can help with prism issues.

                                  ryans

                                  Hi, does the TBI machine work for you? If so, how long have you used it?

                                    5 days later

                                    bkdo Do you need to use the lenses 24/7? Can't you use it just on bad screens?

                                    I might consider using the lenses, but not 24/7.

                                    • bkdo replied to this.

                                        tfouto

                                        I'm not sure about that. I think you're supposed to wear prism lenses as much as possible so you can get your eyes used to seeing the proper way. Definitely something to talk to your optometrist about though, could be a case-by-case basis.

                                            bkdo but are you suppose to use them 24/7 for the rest of your life?

                                            • bkdo replied to this.

                                                tfouto

                                                Not sure tbh, I’ll know more after my BVD appointment next week. The encouraging thing about BVD is that it seems that there are several promising treatment options (prism lenses, vision therapy, etc), I don’t know if lenses are going to be required 24/7 or if it can be addressed in other ways.

                                                  A general question from me:

                                                  If I get an eyepatch (pirate style), will I be able to keep my patched eye open, without the eyepatch touching my eye (irritating it via touch)? I guess eyepatches are "convex", meaning they don't actually touch the eye's surface?

                                                    Update on my situation

                                                    I am still patching to this day. So I can say with certainty, for me at least, that patching can offer relief for at least several months

                                                    I routinely test without a patch to see if there are any changes being made from patching that may let me one day not need to wear one, and the results have been positive and frustrating at the same time. Prior to patching, I couldn't go more than a second or two without feeling symptoms. After about 7 months of patching, I can sometime go up to a few minutes now with no symptoms. It is agonizingly slow progress, but it is progress. It is also unpredictable, there are times to this day where on some days I still can't stand even a second or two of a bad computer display. However, I have noticed significant improvement with my sensitivity to LED light bulbs, oddly enough. I can spend hours in a room with them and be just fine. That was an incredible discovery for me.

                                                    For specifics, I patch during work hours, so around 8 hours a day, but I take frequent breaks and work on non computer related tasks whenever I can, so I would say in an average day I actually stare at a screen with a patch on maybe 1-2 hours.

                                                    I have presented this information to several opticians and vision specialists, and as suspected they were all baffled and useless in explaining what was going on. they agreed that since the patch helps it has to be something to do with my binocular vision, but what that was they had no clue. They recommended adding prism to some lenses, so I had some custom lenses made up and they didn't help at all. another $150 down the tubes.

                                                    Anyone have a good source on firm, paper eye patches? I got some from my eye doctor, but all I can find are the soft padded ones which suck since they don't hold a concave shape and press on your eye.

                                                      ensete I didn't quite understand your patching time. Do you patch 8 hours a day? Do you use the patch even without using any screen? Do you change both eyes, or just one?

                                                          dev