TBI Research and My Trip to See Dr. Debby Feinberg

I just returned from and wonderful trip to Michigan and Dr. Debby's office. I spent a lot of time observing cases with her. I am always learning new things from every case I see, so that was very exciting for me. One case was a Colonel that works in the Pentagon. He suffered a concussion and was having difficulty driving and functioning until he was treated by Dr. Debby. It was great to learn his story and see his progress. He just drove from Virginia to Michigan for his visit and is now back in activity duty. We all thanked him for his service.

The evening was spent with many colleagues in the fields of neurology, otolaryngology, and Pain Management docs. Lots of very interesting conversation about visual and vestibular complications post concussion. I was very excited to meet Dr. Randy Benson who treats many ex professional football players. Since he sees patients from all over the US, he said he will be sending some my way.
Then we were treated to a lecture by Dr. Dallas Hack. Dr. Hack is behind the financing for almost all the research going on in TBI today. From changing the way we diagnose  and classify TBI to exciting new treatments.

Within the next 3 months he is hoping to get FDA approval for a blood test to detect TBI. A new device from the University of Wisconsin Medical School, called a pONS device is also in clinical trials. It hooks up to the tongue, ( the tongue has the most nerve endings in the body) and helps rewire the brain pathways. We are learning that the brain is very plastic and can be healed with the proper treatments.  Out of Dr. Feinberg's office, a new article is being published in the journal of Brain Injury, describing how Binocular Vision Dysfunction is precipitated by concussion and using the Feinberg method of prism correction helps relieve the symptoms of PCS.  Next up for them is going to be a double blind study, which is the gold standard for scientific research. Also, a multi center retrospective study on the effectiveness of prismatic lens treatment for post concussive syndrome. My practice, The Neuro Visual Center of New York is looking forward to being a part of that study.
If you would like anymore information about our work or questions about visual symptoms post concussion feel free to contact my office at 516-224-4888.

Headache Relief With a Pair of Special Glasses

I saw another case of Post Concussive Syndrome yesterday. This young lady had been suffering for about 6 months after a severe blow to the head. Constant headaches, dizziness, balance problems, and "sore eyes". She had been doing Vestibular Therapy for approximately 4 months and has plateaued in her progress.

She was referred to me by her Vestibular Therapist and Neurologist, since they knew there was a big visual component not being addressed. They were right. I found a significant vertical misalignment of the eyes. This is quite common in patients with PCS symptoms remaining 3 months after injury. When this was corrected, the patient felt her headache severity decrease by 50% with 20 minutes. When prism is applied correctly using very accurate testing, the results are truly remarkable.

If you or anyone you know suffers from visual and vestibular problem after a TBI, please log on to www.nvcofny.com.  Our quantified questionnaire helps us determine if prismatic treatment is an option.

Back to Enjoying Life With a Prism Contact Lens

I was so happy to hear today that a patient of mine was able to enjoy going to a party again! I fit her with a prism contact lens for social wear. She was able to wear her lens and get relief from her Post Concussive  Symptoms. The loud noise, flashing lights, and crowds were tolerable due to the prism contact lens. Wonderful!

I understand how important it is for young people to not only feel good but to look good at the same time. Even though my frat party days are far behind me, I can remember them very well.

My goal is to help my patients get back to enjoying life again! If you or someone you know is struggling with headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms from Post Concussive Syndrome please contact us at 516-224-4888 or take our questionnaire at www.nvcofny.com.

There is help without expensive or long term therapy.

Dr. Cheryl
Neuro Visual Center of NY

Traumatic Brain Injury : Prospects for Future Clinical Trials

I am so excited to be travelling to Michigan to meet Dr. Dallas Hack and hear him speak about TBI and Future Clinical Trials.

Currently, Dr. Hack is on the Executive Committee for NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance: A Concussion Research and Education Initiative.  Dr. Hack is the former Director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program. He was involved with the Brain Health/Fitness Research Program as Coordinator for Army Medical Research.

I look forward to a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to get involved in Dr. Hack's important research.

Thankful

This week I am especially thankful for not only my family and wonderful friends but also the skills that I have been taught by Dr. Debby Feinberg. I am so grateful that I can help in the healing of so many people who are suffering and have felt that there was no hope.

Again, as way of giving back, I would like to offer my services to any veteran who acquired a Traumatic Brain Injury in the line of duty,  pro bono.  If you know of any veteran who is suffering headache, dizziness, light sensitivity due to Post Concussion Syndrome or any TBI please have them contact my office. The Neuro Visual Center of New York 516-224-4888

Vertical Heterophoria, Why Does It Occur?

We believe up to 10% of the general population suffers from Vertical Heterophoria (VH). VH can be congenital, meaning you are just born this way. It can also develop after a traumatic brain injury, even a mild concussion. Symptoms include, headache, dizziness, light sensitivity, difficulty reading, and a feeling of being unbalanced.

We know that many people have one eye that is physically higher than the other, yet not all these people suffer from the symptoms of VH. Many patients do not have any symptoms until they hit a certain age. Typically this occurs in the 40s when all our muscle systems have a difficult time functioning as the once did. Sometimes, a stress to the body such as an inner ear infection, pregnancy, Lyme disease, or the flu can be the trigger for VH symptoms to begin.

Up to 50% of patients who still experience Post Concussive symptoms 3 months after their brain injury have developed VH. The signals from the visual system, vestibular system, and brain are not working properly. Many people are misdiagnosed with convergence insufficiency only and VH is missed. The vertical component can be very small and specific tests need to be performed to identify these small vertical muscle problems. When we correct the vertical misalignment, the eyes have a much easier time converging. Eye exercises do not work for the vertical muscles. They can not be trained. This is why so many patients still have significant symptoms after months of vision therapy.

We use very precise prismatic correction in a pair of glasses to correct these misalignments. Patients experience a 70 to 80% reduction in symptoms by the end of treatment. No lenghty or costly vision therapy. Just a very special pair of glasses. If you would like to find out if Vertical Heterophoria is causing your symptoms, please log on to our website www.nvcofny.com. Take our quantified questionnaire and we will contact you with your results.

Post Concussive Syndrome and Binocular Vision Dysfunction.

I wanted to take some time to explain how we think Post Concussive Syndrome can lead to Binocular Vision Dysfunction. We know that more than 50% of our brain pathways are related to vision. Vision is very complicated  and is much more than how clearly each eyes sees. Our visual system, along with the vestibular system controls our feeling of stability and movement in space. To do this, our two eyes need to be working together properly.

I like to use the analogy of wires going from one telephone pole to the next. The "wires", actually neurons, carry the signals in the brain. When someone suffers a TBI these "wires" get jumbled up. The brain is very plastic and healing does take place. The rate of healing and how the brain heals can be unique to each person.

We believe that when someone suffers a TBI, these signals can become faulty. The signal between the eyes and the vestibular system is faulty. Due to the incorrect signal the eyes rotate to a misaligned position. However, if they remained in the misaligned position, the person would see double. This is dysfunctional. Our brain does not like to see double. To overcome this double vision, the opposing eye muscles start working, causing stress and strain on the system. This leads to the symptoms of headache and dizziness.

Treatment with prismatic lenses allow the eyes to maintain the comfortable position and relieve the strain on the compensating muscles. We can get a 70 to 80% reduction in symptoms with out costly therapy.  If you would like to see if Binocular Vision Dysfunction is part of your Post Concussive Syndrome, please go to my website www.nvcofny.com to take our questionnaire or email me at drcheryl@nvcofny.com. I would also be happy to speak in person if you have any questions. Please calll 516-224-4888
Dr.  Cheryl.

Vertical Heterophoria Causing Unexplained Dizziness for 10 Years

Many patients with Vertical Heterophoria get very dizzy while driving a car.  This often leads to severe anxiety attacks. This problem can get so bad that these people can not function or lead normal lives. A very lovely woman  I will call G, I  had the pleasure of examining last week. She had been suffering for 10 years with dizziness.  She would experience severe dizziness in the car, which lead to anxiety attacks. She also complained about an unsteady feeling while she was walking, neck ache, sensitivity to light, and an anxious feeling in large open areas. Classic symptoms of  Vertical Heterophoria. She had seen may doctors and tried many treatments. Nothing had helped her.

During her first visit to the Neuro Visual Center of NY, G felt an immediate difference while wearing the trial frame with her prismatic lens correction. G felt more steady and grounded on her feet, she was able to walk a straight line, and she felt her dizziness decreasing. She could actually feel her eye muscles relaxing. It was so rewarding to see the look of pure joy on her face. I can't wait for G to get her new prism glasses and be on the road back to a normal life!

Visual Chaos, Vertical Heterophoria, and ADHD

I was speaking with a wonderful woman yesterday, Ellie Altman, who works for Dr. Debby Feinberg as an educational liaison. She used the term visual chaos to describe how a child with ADHD and a binocular vision dysfunction, such as Vertical Heterophoria, may see. I thought visual chaos was a great term. The information is coming into the brain through a visual system that is not functioning properly. The information gets all mixed up, leading to chaos. 50% of children with ADHD have a vision problem which contributes to their reading and learning difficulty.  Often, the vision problem is an eye misalignment so small that it is missed on a routine vision exam.

The neurovisual examination was developed to diagnose these very small misalignments, as well as other binocular vision disorders. This 90 minute examination utilizes many tests that are not part of a general eye exam.  If a binocular vision problem is detected, prismatic lenses are used to realign the eyes. This leads quickly to a higher level of visual functioning, without lengthy expensive vision therapy.  The visual chaos is gone!

If you or your child suffers from ADHD, please call my office or log onto my website to learn more about binocular vision dysfunction.
516-224-4888
nvcofny.com

Agoraphobia and Vertical Heterophoria

Many patients who suffer with vertical heterophoria find themselves extremely anxious in big open spaces with high ceilings. We feel this happens due to the phenomenon of visual vertigo. There is so much visual input coming in, the person feels overwhelmed. The increase of visual stimulus along with movement causes the dizziness to increases. This then leads to even more anxiety. This can also happen when a person with vertical heterophoria tries to cross a busy street. The dizziness can increase leading to an increase in anxiety. Over time, this anxiety can become so intense that the person can not leave their home. These patients become agoraphobic.

It would be interesting to study how many agoraphobic people have dizziness as a symptom. If the dizziness is caused by vertical heterophoria, prismatic eyeglasses can help.

For more information and to take our questionnaire to see if you have vertical heterophoria or another  type of binocular vision dysfunction, visit our website www.nvcofny.com

Exciting Day for the Treatment of Vertical Heterophoria

Today, not only did Dr. Debby Feinberg speak at TEDX Detroit but I opened my new practice, Neuro Visual Center of New York. We are trying to spread the word about Vertical Heterophoria, an often undiagnosed eye misalignment which causes so much suffering. Headaches, dizziness, light sensitivity, head tilt, neck ache, difficulty reading, anxiety in large open spaces, an unbalanced feeling  and many other symptoms. Vertical Heterophoria and other Binocular Vision Dysfunctions can be effectively treated with prismatic correction in a pair of eyeglasses. No costly, time consuming therapy. Simply, a special pair of glasses.

Migraines, Computer Vision Syndrome, and Binocular Vision Dysfunction

Recently, I have had many cases of young people who have been suffering from headaches on an almost daily basis. They have all been diagnosed with migraine or chronic sinus headache. Pain on eye movement and facial pain, especially after long term computer use is a common theme among these patients. These people have been suffering for years and have tried many medications with little or no relief.

In each and every one of these cases, the binocular vision status was never adequately evaluated. When we are on a computer for long periods we ask the visual system to work very hard. The focus has to be maintained so each eye has a clear image on each retina. Moreover, the two eyes must point to the same place in space so the images are on the same points on each retina. This is a lot of work for the eye muscles. If the eyes are even slightly out of alignment, the eye muscles are constantly overworked. This leads to the feelings of eye strain, headache, and even facial pain.

A careful binocular vision evaluation can find even the smallest misalignments. Our exam,  the Neuro Visual Evaluation, following the methods of Dr. Debby Feinberg of Vision Specialists of Michigan, is a complete comprehensive ocular and binocular vision exam. It is extremely detailed, taking approximately 90 minutes. Through this evaluation, very small eye misalignments can be detected that are normally missed in the standard 15 minute eye exam.

When the eyes are aligned using special prismatic lenses in a pair of glasses, the eye muscles relax and the symptoms of pain are greatly reduced or eliminated. Each persons prescription is custom tailored for their visual system. Often, the prescription gets refined after about a month of wearing the prism glasses. Many patients can get off all of their pain medications when the course of treatment is complete.

If you are suffering from migraines, headaches, eye pain, facial pain, please go to our website www.nvcofny.com and take our questionnaire. If your score indicates that  you may have a binocular vision problem, we will contact you within a few days. It just may be your eyes!

Another Feel Good Story About Vertical Heterophoria Treatment with Prism

I saw a young man this week who started to experience dizziness and headaches about 4 months ago. The symptoms began suddenly,  resolved for about a week, then returned with an increase in severity. He was seen by multiple doctors, neurologists, ENT, ophthalmologists and internists. All of his test came back negative, MRI, MRA, CAT scans. He wound up at a Neuro Ophthalmologist who found a vertical misalignment of his eyes using many of the tests that I use in my exam. She gave him a press on prism to realign the eyes. This was a good start.  However, press on prisms blur the vision and look unsightly. This of course bothered this young college student.

Researching vertical heterophoria, the young man found out that Dr. Debby Feinberg was the expert in this field and has help thousands of patients with this problem. The family was so happy that they could see a doctor trained by Dr. Debby in New York. At our first visit, the young man was quite agitated and I could tell that he was in a lot of discomfort.  He just was not feeling well and it was affecting his school and social life.

What a wonderful experience that day. He got a 50 percent reduction in his dizziness within 20 minutes of the prism application.  We call that a wow moment.

These moments of healing make me proud to do my job.
Happy and Healthy New Year to those who celebrate.
Dr. Cheryl

Improve Your Sports Performance With Prism Glasses

Prism correction in glasses can help improve sports performance and eye hand coordination. If the eyes are even slightly out of alignment, the player's stereo vision (3D depth perception) is not functioning at its optimal level. This can affect how well an athlete hits or catches a ball. Improving depth perception allows the player to track the ball, a very fast moving target, with much increased precision. This leads to better eye hand coordination and overall improvement in performance.

During a Neuro Visual Evaluation we test binocular vision using a variety of objective and subjective tests. We are able to detect very small eye misalignments in the vertical and horizontal planes, not found in a routine eye exam. Prisms incorporated into eyewear can correct these small misalignments, leading to high definition vision. In fact, increased depth perception is often the first thing people notice when they start wearing prism glasses.

If you want to increase your performance on the field or golf course, call us to schedule a Neuro Visual eye exam.
The Neuro Visual Center of New York
516-224-4888

Prism Glasses Relieved Headaches!

I would like to share a wonderful testimonial that I just received from a young patient.

When I was younger, I never had headaches but my balance felt off, I felt crooked. Then I started to get headaches at the end of the last school year. We went to a lot of doctors until my pediatrician said to come to the eye doctor. I was suffering academically and socially because the headaches got worse and they were constant. They rarely let up. The morning was the worst, I woke up nauseous every morning. This went on for about 3 months. Then I went to Dr. Israeloff. We never thought it was my eyes because my eye site was always fine!

What a wonderful surprise to find out there is a name (Vertical Heterophoria) and a cure -- A pair of prism glasses. No more headaches. I see better in general. My hand eye coordination improved. I don't feel sick anymore. The glasses are great - I love my new look.
Thank you,
Dr. Israeloff

These stories are why I enjoy this work so much!

Vertical Heterophoria, ADHD, and Success

Tomorrow, I have the pleasure of examining a wonderful patient of mine. He has ADHD and in spite of that he is a brilliant computer programmer. When I first saw him, he told me that the words always move on the screen and that he could feel his eyes pulling.  These are of course classic symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria. The many medications he is one probably contribute to his poor binocular vision.  His prism glasses immediately made his eyes feel better.

Why am I so excited to see this particular patient tomorrow? He told me that I was the first eye doctor to listen and take his complaints seriously. That make me feel really good.

Neck Pain

Neck pain is always on the top of the list for my patients with Vertical Heterophoria. In fact, most of my patients go to the chiropractor for weekly adjustments or the massage therapist. The relief after these treatments  is always temporary. This is because of the constant head tilt. Someone with VH will tilt their head to try to align the retinal images. This happens subconsciously. It is one of the mechanisms our brain uses so as not to have double vision. Double vision is just not functional.  The constant head tilt puts strain on the neck and upper back muscles, plus throws the spine out of alignment. Once we align the eyes, the head tilt resolves.  The treatments for the neck and back pain now can work since the neck muscles are not in a constant state of contraction.  Once again, we see that the symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria are more than meets the eye!

Post Concussion Syndrome and Vertical Heterophoria

Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. (TBI) You don't have to have a loss of consciousness or pass out to have a concussion, as is commonly thought. Usually, concussive symptoms such as headache, dizziness, loss of balance, brain fog, get better between 2 weeks to 3 months time. However, a large percentage of patients  up to 30%, have post concussive symptoms after 3 months time. What my colleagues in Michigan, (Dr. Debby Feinberg), have discovered is that a significant number of these patients have an uncorrected binocular vision problem that has been caused or made worse by the TBI.

We believe this happens due to a faulty signal being sent to the eyes from the brain. This causes the eyes to become misaligned. The main problem is that this misalignment causes double vision. The brain does not like to see double. This leads to the eye muscles stressing and straining to move the eyes into alignment and a headache results. The stress and strain on these muscles causes them to quiver, which in turn causes the eyes to quiver. This sensation of movement is now in conflict with the vestibular system which is sensing no movement. Dizziness is the result.

Proper prismatic correction in a pair of eyeglasses, moves the images back into alignment. The eye muscles relax. The headache and dizziness symptoms resolve or significantly decrease. We can get an 80% reduction of symptoms at the first office visit.  If you or someone you know has post concussive syndrome, has seen many doctors with no relief, please visit our website www.nvcofny.com. Take the questionnaire. It may be your eyes!

Anxiety, Unexplained Dizziness, and Vertical Heterophoria

Which came first? The anxiety or the dizziness? Unexplained dizziness can cause anxiety. If the world is not stable and you constantly feel that you are about to fall down, of course you will feel anxious. There are so many people suffering with anxiety due to their dizziness who take multiple medications to combat their symptoms. What if the anxiety was coming from the eyes? These medications can make the ability of the eye muscle to function properly even worse. A cycle of dizziness and anxiety gets created.

If you have undiagnosed dizziness leading to anxiety, please go to my website www.nvcofny.com and take the questionnaire. Your symptoms may be coming from a binocular vision dysfunction, such as Vertical Heterophoria, which can not be detected on a routine eye exam.

Vertical Heterophoria and Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is a rare condition that can occur when a person gets off a ship or plane.  Basically, the person still feels a rocking, swaying, or bobbing motion even after a length of time. This feeling can persist and never go away.  When the patient is in a moving vehicle or riding in a car, they actually feel better. It is usually diagnosed by an ENT when all vestibular testing proves to be negative. Until recently, there has been no treatment for this condition. Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York has made some great strides in a new kind of treatment which retrains the vestibular system and eye muscles to work together. They are doing great work but a portion of these patients do not get better.  This was the case of one young lady I treated last week.

There was also a binocular vision dysfunction occurring at the same time. She had vertical heterophoria. In vertical heterophoria, typically the patient feels worse in a car or with movement. This is in contrast to Mal de Debarquement. However, these two conditions can occur at the same time. I believe this young lady always had vertical heterophoria but she was not showing symptoms until something happened to her vestibular system causing the MdDS. With the proper prism correction in her glasses, her symptoms decreased significantly. The visual component to her symptoms was resolved.

I find it very interesting how two conditions that affect the balance system can be related and so often be misdiagnosed. For more information about Vertical Heterophoria please visit my website www.nvcofny.com

Sinus pain or Vertical Heterophoria

As I was reading some questionnaire results today, I was struck at the number of people who report that they have sinus problems. Many folks have had numerous sinus procedures and still complain of sinus pain, especially under the eyes and above the eyes. This pain can be originating from your eye muscles constantly straining to keep your eyes aligned. The aching pain from the straining eye muscles can feel just like sinus pain and pressure. A simple way to determine if your "sinus" pain is in fact from Vertical Heterophoria, or another binocular vision dysfunction is the five minute cover test.  First, rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10. 0 being nothing and 10 being the worst you ever felt. Set a timer for 5 minutes next and cover one eye. It doesn't matter which eye you cover. When the 5 minutes are up, rate your pain again. If you feel significantly better after the 5 minutes with one eye covered, then you know it is coming from your eyes!

Log onto our website www.nvcofny.com and take the questionnaire if the 5 minutes cover test works for you!

Making All The Puzzle Pieces Fit Together

As a doctor, I feel it is my job to look at each patient as a whole person. In our health care system, often a patient goes to each specialist and no one ever takes the time to evaluate the person as a whole.  I always strive to take in the total picture with each patient. Working together with other health professionals should always be the goal to help heal the patient.

 Dizziness can be caused by many factors.  The eyes, the inner ear, blood pressure, blood sugar levels all can contribute to dizziness. In fact, the visual system and the inner ear work together to keep us balanced and moving correctly in space. Unfortunately, this link between or inner ears, the vestibular system, and vision is too often overlooked.

If you or a loved one has been suffering from dizziness or headache and has not found relief from the neurologist, ENT, or vestibular therapist, consider the problem may be your eyes. Vertical Heterophoria is a binocular vision dysfunction where the images fall on non-corresponding points on your retinas. This causes the eye muscles to strain to keep the images together. Typical symptoms are headache and dizziness. Vertical Heterophoria will not be found on a routine eye exam. A simple online questionnaire can be found on my website www.nvcofny.com. This test can help determine if a binocular vision dysfunction is the missing puzzle piece in the treatment of your dizziness.

Control Your Headaches, Don't Let Them Control You.

Yesterday, a patient said to me, "Dr. Cheryl these prism glasses are doing something! My headaches are getting better.". This young woman has been suffering from extreme headaches her whole life. She was taking various medications everyday to control them. When it was 'that time of the month', the headaches would be unbearable. She had to stay in a dark room at those times for often days. These headaches were destroying her life. Work, school, social life, all were suffering.

I explained to her that many factors contributing to her headaches we could not control, especially the hormonal swings every month, but we could control many triggers. First, she stopped  all caffeine and caffeine containing medications, cold turkey. This was not an easy task. She suffered from a terrible rebound headache the first week. Unfortunately, this is the only way to get out of the caffeine- headache cycle.  The caffeine may make the headache better but it is only a temporary fix. The headaches will only be that much worse when they return.

Second, I corrected the vertical imbalance in her visual system. Vertical Heterophoria was causing a constant strain and stress on her visual system. This constant stress was a major headache trigger for this patient. The prisms in her new glasses made an immediate impact on her vision and her symptoms.

Now, she is working on controlling other dietary triggers. It is tough to give up caffeine and chocolate! I am very proud of all her hard work and I truly believe she will soon be completely headache free.

A Wow Moment

Today I got a wow. Not really one wow, but a series of wows. This young woman who has been suffering from dizziness most of her life found relief. She just kept saying wow, wow, wow, this is a miracle.  These moments keep me pushing forward and working even harder to get the word out about vertical heterophoria. If you suffer from dizziness or a feeling of being off balance and every doctor tells you that nothing is wrong... It just may be your eyes!

Do You Believe in Destiiny?

The yiddish word for destiny is “ Besherit”. I am not sure if I am spelling that correctly, but I have been thinking a lot about destiny lately. My destiny or fate changed about a year and a half ago while reading one of my optometry journals on a plane trip. This particular article caught my eye since it mentioned University of Michigan. My daughter is a student at Michigan, so I decided to read the article. It was about a doctor’s speciality practice and how she was helping people with an often misdiagnosed binocular vision disorder, vertical heterophoria. Patients from all over the country and even out of the country, travel to Michigan to be treated by this doctor. Her name is Dr. Debby Feinberg of Vision Specialists of Michigan.

I found her work so interesting and different, I decided to reach out to Dr. Debby. We spoke on the phone a number of times and each time I became more and more intrigued with her work. Binocular vision was not even on my radar before I read this journal article. I was trained very medically and started my career in glaucoma research. I was a good general optometrist with a young growing practice but I was never satisfied with my mode of practice. A speciality practice in binocular vision was not even a thought in my head.

I decided to go visit Vision Specialists of Michigan on a trip to see my daughter. From that visit onwards, I knew that this was my fate. I walked into Dr. Debby’s office and said to myself, “ I want to do this!”. So my journey began. A few months later I went out to train with Dr. Debby Feinberg. It was an intense week of training, observing, and examining patients. Dr. Debby’s technique of treatment with prisms is very exact and I had almost no experience with prisms at all. Prisms scared me! I had a lot to learn, it was overwhelming at times.

I found this work so exciting, because these patients are sick, suffering, and searching for answers. They have been told by many doctors that nothing is wrong with them. They have headaches, are dizzy and sensitive to the light, plus many other symptoms. They have had many tests and treatments, with little or no relief. They are told it is in their heads. It is not. No one looked in the right place.

My goal is to spread the word about vertical heterophoria. If you or someone you know suffers from dizziness, headaches, neck ache, anxiety, motion sickness, have them look up vertical heterophoria. This condition can not be detected on a routine eye exam. You must be tested by a doctor specially trained to diagnosis this condition and treat it. The treatment is a visual orthotic device, prism glasses. These glasses look like regular glasses but to a patient with vertical heterophoria these glasses are their medicine. These patients feel a substantial improvement in their symptoms during the first visit. They often can not believe how much better they feel!

I am proud to say that I am one of the first doctors in the country to be trained by Dr. Debby Feinberg. I look forward to opening my new practice, The Neuro Visual Center of New York, later this summer. This is the next chapter of my professional life. This is my destiny, besherit.

Glasses Are Your Medicine

           It is almost miraculous that a simple pair of glasses with prismatic correction, or as we like to call them visual orthotic devices, can be the solution to so many problems. Vertical Heterophoria can cause headaches, neck aches, anxiety, balance issues, dizziness, reading comprehension problems, to name a few. When the eye muscles are under constant strain to keep the retinal images aligned, all of these symptoms can present.  However, this condition is so often not even looked for because it is not well known, even to most eye doctors. It is just something not taught in school, though the condition was described as early as the 1800's.
          My mission is to spread the word about vertical heterophoria and other binocular vision dysfunctions (BVD). If we can identify patients with BVD early on, so much suffering can be alleviated. In the learning disabled population this is paramount. It is well documented that children with learning difficulties, often have BVD.
           If you have unexplained headache, dizziness, anxiety in big spaces (malls, supermarkets). If you have seen many doctors, had many tests, tried many treatments with no relief.... please think of your eyes. Log on to my website and take the questionnaire. A pair of glasses with prismatic correction may be the medicine you need!
www.neurovisualcenterofny.com
         

Let's talk about ADHD and Vision

Last week there was a person on the local New York City news talking about vision exercises and ADHD.  They stated that most children are misdiagnosed and can be cured with vision exercises. Now, I do think there is a place for vision therapy with children with ADHD but, I don't think that this is a cure all.  Many children and adults, are misdiagnosed with ADHD or ADD because the binocular system was never tested.  However, there are equally as many people that truly have ADHD/ADD plus binocular dysfunction (BVD). This is an important distinction.  One group is misdiagnosed and one group is properly diagnosed. Both patients in these groups can have BVD.  A full comprehensive binocular vision examination is so important for both of these groups and it is often overlooked.

We also know the medications that are used to treat these conditions also affects the visual system. People have difficulty maintaining focus, tracking from one line to another, or keeping both eyes pointing to the same place in space. Appropriate prismatic correction can help all of these difficulties.     While vision therapy can take months and be very expensive, we can see results very quickly with Dr. Feinberg's technique of prismatic correction.

It is troubling that so many of these children fall through the cracks in the system because they are not evaluated properly. In our ever increasing visual and stressful world, this has become a huge problem. These children are working so hard to learn and not having a stable visual system makes it so much harder.

Please spread the word, binocular  vision dysfunction is not found on a routine eye exam.  You must go to a doctor, ( usually an OD, Optometrist) who is specially trained in binocular vision.

Headache, anxiety, dizziness .... Does this describe you?

If you suffer from headache, dizziness, anxiety, neckache, difficulty while reading, please take some time to visit our new website.. Neurovisualcenterofny.com.  Take a few moments to take our questionnaire. I promise to review your results as soon as possible.
Reach out. There is help.
Dr. Cheryl

Vision, ADHD, and other Learning Disabilies

It is well documented that children with ADHD and other learning disabilities have problems with binocular vision. Unfortunately, these issues are undiagnosed in these kids simply because they are sent to a doctor who doesn't test for binocular vision problems.These problems can include accommodative problems where the eyes can not focus or maintain focus at near, convergence problems, where the eyes can not maintain the proper posture at near, and tracking issues.  All of these problems impact reading and therefore learning. To make matters worse, many of the medications that children take for ADHD affect the functioning of the eye muscles to a great degree.

Part of the focus at The Neuro Visual Center of NY is the diagnosis and treatment of this underserved population. Parents, practitioners, and educators need to be aware that these binocular vision problems are not picked up on a routine eye exam.  If the whole visual system is working in harmony, learning can take place at a much greater level.

Headache relief with Prism

An update on a case I wrote about a couple of weeks back.  This young woman was suffering from headaches which were increasing in intensity everyday.  She is a very good student and an athlete.  This all began with a bout of mononucleosis.  She went through every test, but not one of her doctors thought to have her eyes checked! Thank goodness, her Mom is a patient of mine.  Diagnosis --- Vertical Heterophoria

I believe her illness put an extra stress on her eye muscles and they just couldn't work as efficiently as before.  The mono just brought out  the underlying binocular vision disorder. I am happy to report that since she received her prism glasses, she has not had a headache.

Please remember, each person is different. Someone with a binocular dysfunction can experience headache, another person with the same problem may feel dizzy, sometimes it is a combination. Each patient is unique and many of the symptoms can be made worse by an inner ear problem.

If you suspect you have Vertical Heterophoria, or another binocular vision problem. Please reach out ,   there is help.  You can email me at drcbisraeloff@gmail.com

In good health,
Dr. Cheryl

Lets Be Clear, Your Headache Could be Coming From Your Eyes!

I have been doing a lot of networking and research this week in anticipation of my new practice opening.  It amazes me that not one, (and I mean not one), headache speciality clinic's website mentions vision at all. One would think a basic focusing problem at least would be addressed at the minimum.  No, not mentioned, not vision, not focusing, not binocular vision of course at all.  Medicine today is so segmented that the whole patient is not looked at.  This is sad and scary.

Trust that if  I ever have the pleasure to see you as a patient, not only will I examine your whole visual system but I will listen to all of your symptoms. I may be able to only treat your vision but I believe part of my job is to direct the patient to the person who can help their other aliments.

And lets be clear, your headaches could be stemming from a problems with your eyes! Please investigate this before you start on the vicious cycle of  serious medication.

Balance and Vision

I wanted to share a story of a patient of mine with balance issues and dizziness.  This man was a lively older gentleman enjoying his life. He was in his 7th decade, but was very hearty and physically fit. He remembers exactly the day over 3 years ago when the dizziness started. He was getting ready to meet friends for brunch, as he did every Sunday.  His life changed that day. The dizziness got progressively worse over the next few weeks until he could not walk without the use of a cane. He went to various doctors and began vestibular rehabilitation.  He found only slight relief from the vestibular exercises. Then about 2 years ago he heard about Dr. Debby Feinberg.  He spoke to Dr. Debby but he couldn't travel to Michigan. A year later, still suffering he looked up Dr. Debby again. This time she was able to send this wonderful man to me, in New York, driving distance for the patient. Yes, he clearly had vertical heterophoria contributing to his dizziness. When he started wearing his prism glasses, he started to feel much more stable on the first day. I believe as he adjusts to his new glasses, that feeling will increase. Three years of dizziness ruining this man's life because his binocular vision was never tested.

I spoke with him this morning. I could hear the smile over the phone. He was starting to feel so much better! My hope is that he will be able to walk without the cane and enjoy  Sunday brunch with his friends again.

All I Want to do is Read

As we get older, the little pleasures in life become more and more important. Whether you love to run, sew, hike, dance, listen to music, or read.  These activities can increase in importance to us as time marches on. I am not sure if that is because we realize life is too short or we find the true meaning of our own individual happiness.  Last week, I was able to help a man enjoy reading again, his one true pleasure.  I simply had to listen to his problems and needs and directly address his symptoms. Not one eye doctor ever evaluated his fragile binocular system. The gentleman has a host of health issues that were being cared for by many doctors,  so his binocular vision difficulties got lost in the shuffle. His  two eyes were struggling to work together while reading.  He was skipping lines, going out of focus and getting frustruated.  No one else bothered to ask what he enjoyed most in life and if he was still able to pursue that activity.  If  Doctors don't ask about our patients needs, how can we ever heal them?

The good news is that this wonderful gentleman found his way to me.  I evaluated and treated his binocular dysfunction.  He can now enjoy reading again.... That is the true power of prism!!!!
If you feel you suffer from a binocular vision dysfunction, headaches, dizziness, anxiety, double vision,.... Please reach out to me at drcbisraeloff@gmail.com.  There is help.

Children, learning disabilities, and Binocular Vision

Children are often placed in remedial reading groups or labeled as having learning problems without a proper visual assessment.  I don't mean a routine eye exam where each eye is tested to determine if it is focusing clearly.  While that exam is very important, along with making sure the eyes are healthy,   equally important is a full binocular vision assessment.  Our eyes do not work in isolation.  They must focus clearly, maintain that focus, and point to the same location in place, in order to see a clear single image.  Then those images get transported to the brain where all that information needs to get processed. Our visual system helps orient us in space, keeps us balanced, provides motion cues and provides us with information to learn, all at the same time. It is such a complex and exquisite system, I am often in awe of how the human binocular visual system evolved.

In today's highly visual world, we often ask children to maintain that focus for long periods of time and process complex information while dealing with a lot of distractions.  If a child has to work so hard just to process that visual information, and keep a clear, single focused image,  you can see how this would interfere with learning.  I can't stress how important a complete binocular vision assessment is in this population of  children. No child should be diagnosis with a learning problem until a complete binocular vision assessment is performed by a doctor who understands binocular vision. Treating an underlying binocular vision disorder can make one of the most profound impacts on a child's ability to learn up to their true potential.

Migraines and Diet

I recently read a book about migraine and diet triggers.  A famous neurologist from Johns Hopkins University believes all migraines can be controlled with a very strict diet. I believe his views are extreme but there is definitely a place for diet evaluation and control to alleviate migraine.  We all know the common triggers of chocolate, caffeine, msg,  but there are many others.  His theory is that we  all have a threshold for headache. Some people have a very low threshold.  If they are exposed to many headache triggers at a time and they reach their individual threshold, the headache starts.  I think this is a very interesting idea and probably is true. The trick is to tease out what are a person's specific triggers. I believe, along with food triggers, there are other sensory triggers.  Fluorescent lighting, loud noises , strong smells are all well know to be migraine triggers.  Now if the patient also has a binocular vision dysfunction,  we see how this can put them easily over the headache threshold in our highly visual computer world.  If you do suffer from headaches and have found no relief,  please email me at drcbisraeloff@gmail.com. There is help.

A Binocular Vision Dysfunction Success Story

I would like to share this wonderful testimonial from a patient of mine.  After suffering for many years, she is now not only working full time, but also going to school at night.  I am amazed at how much she has accomplished this past year. 

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.

Its Been A Bit

I has been some time since my last post. I have been very busy working on launching my new office, The NeuroVisual Center of New York.  I am very excited to be able to treat VH and other binocular vision disorders full time.  In the meantime, I have been treating many patients with dizziness and headaches at my general practice location.  I continue to see so many interesting cases and find this work extremely fulfilling.

A wonderful case that I saw last week was a young woman who always felt off balance.  She had what she would describe as brain fog and suffered from an acute anxiety about falling. She finally found out about VH through a chat room about dizziness.  I will never forget the joy on her face when I told her I could help and that her symptoms were not in her mind. On her initial trial framing in the office all of her symptoms decreased to practically zero within 20 minutes. This was definitely a wow moment!

Update, on my very first patient with VH that I treated since finishing my training with  Dr. Debby Feinberg in Michigan. The patient was accepted into her college of choice and will start in the fall. A huge accomplishment for a young woman whose life was severely altered after being thrown from a horse.  Her prism glasses not only helped her complete her applications but allowed her to enjoy life again.