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?

                                        tfouto ensete I didn't quite understand your patching time. Do you patch 8 hours a day?

                                        No, i only path when using my work computer. So on average 1-2 hours a day. During my 8 hour work day I take frequent breaks and try to do as much away from the computer as possible.

                                        Do you use the patch even without using any screen?

                                        No, I only wear the patch when using my work setup. It is the only setup I cannot change toa setup that does not trigger my symptoms. I am still of the belief that the #1 focus should always be trigger avoidance, and if you run into a situation you simply cannot avoid, then you look at other options.

                                        Do you change both eyes, or just one?

                                        Patching my right eye causes significantly more relief than patching the left, so I always patch the right eye.

                                          How safe is it to patch your eye for hours everyday?

                                          I'm under the impression that consensus says 4 hours per day is safe. Is that so?

                                            logixoul I'm under the impression that consensus says 4 hours per day is safe. Is that so?

                                            Says who?

                                                I saw a BVD specialist yesterday, here's the summary:

                                                • Diagnosed with Convergence insuffiency (Exophoria), Vertical heterophoria (Spasm of accomodation), and Paresis of accomodation (General binocular vision dysfunction)

                                                • Basically, my eyes are constantly working in overdrive to keep my vision as clear as possible, and this is what causes my symptoms. For example, she had me look at a chart that measures convergence. The normal range is between 2 and 6, my number for close range was 16 (!), and long range was 24 (!!). The flickering screens are apparently putting extra strain on my system, which is why they're so hard to deal with.

                                                • The specialist was not surprised at all that the eyepatch helped, since I clearly have massive issues with binocular vision. This suggests to me that if you experience relief with the eyepatch, you should definitely look into getting checked for BVD. It may not end up being the answer for your particular situation, but it is absolutely a lead worth looking into.

                                                • She was also not surprised that my new lenses help, since they at least partially address my eye misalignments. She recommended to keep wearing them to see if my symptoms keep improving (I'd say these lenses reduce the symptoms by 60-70% as of right now, hoping to get that number up as much as possible)

                                                • The plan for now is to do regular vison therapy with her & try Neurolens again (My last attempt w/ Neurolens didn't help with flicker at all, because the prescription didn't account for the totality of my misalignments. Hoping for a better result this time.)

                                                • I specifically asked what she thought about my prognosis and if she felt positive about treating or curing this issue. She said that she does feel positive, though I'll probably need lenses permanently and it'll take a good deal of visual therapy.

                                                Overall, I'm actually hopeful for the first time in literally years. I can't thank you guys enough for suggesting the eyepatch, it's an incredible lead and I'd highly suggest anyone who feels relief from it to get thoroughly checked for BVD or any kind of eye misalignments. You could literally be one pair of prism lenses away from some sort of relief 😃

                                                  bkdo
                                                  Hi bkdo, it's great to read some kind of success story here. Did you get a new prescription acouting your vertical misaligment?

                                                  • bkdo replied to this.

                                                      Dominic

                                                      Yes, I received this new prescription from my optometrist a few weeks ago when I was first diagnosed with the double eye misalignment:

                                                      Sphere OD +0.50

                                                      Sphere OS +0.25

                                                      H Prism OD 1.25 Bl

                                                      H Prism OS 1.25 Bl

                                                      V Prism OD 0.75 BD

                                                      V Prism OS 0.75 BU

                                                      I'm currently wearing lenses with this prescription & have about a 60-70% reduction in symptoms. My main symptom now is eye fatigue & slight dizziness after 2-3 hours of using a flickering screen, but it dissipates much faster than before. It's much better, but not perfect yet.

                                                      I also got a new Neurolens prescription from the BVD specialist that has vertical prism + new horizontal prism that was worked out by my optometrist & BVD specialist together. I'll definitely post updates if the new Neurolenses provide even more relief.

                                                          dev