What is it?
Double vision is when you see two images of a single object. These images are often overlapping. There are two main types:
Monocular diplopia: seeing two images with just one eye opened
Binocular diplopia: seeing two images with both eyes opened
What causes it?
While monocular diplopia is more likely to be caused by an issue contained to the effected eye, binocular diplopia may point to neurological origins. If a condition impacts the visual pathways in the occipital lobe (optic nerve optic chiasm, optic tract, optic radiation, visual cortex) visual inputs may be difficult to receive and interpret, leading to double vision. If a condition impacts cranial nerves (3rd, 4th, 6th), eye movement will be hindered, which may also lead to double vision.
Common causes of monocular diplopia are:
Dry eyes
Astigmatism
Cataracts
Keratoconus (problem with cornea shape)
Pterygium (thickened mucous membrane)
Polycoria (two pupils present in eye)
Possible causes of binocular diplopia:
Functional asymmetry
Strabismus
Myasthenia gravis (affects eye muscles and hinders them from working properly)
Multiple sclerosis
Brain tumor or aneurism
Stroke
Giant cell arteritis
Grave’s disease (causes swelling of eye socket muscles)
Poorly managed diabetes
What are the symptoms?
Common signs and symptoms of double vision include:
Seeing two images may be overlapping
Crossed eyes
Headache
Droopy eyelids
Nausea
Weakness in eyes
Children may have more difficulty determining if they are having double vision, so some common signs to look for include:
Squinting/straining eyes
Closing or covering one eye
Tilting or turning head to see
Look at others from the side instead of facing forward
How can we help?
At BBRS our approach is unique and highly impactful since we leverage the most powerful brain receptors into our therapeutic applications. The most powerful brain receptors are the otoliths, which are two pairs of vestibular receptors with the responsibility to perceive gravity and linear movements of the head.
The first step in our uniquely effective strategy is called The Gravity Reset Method of translating the whole body in a purposeful direction, but what makes all the difference is how we position the head and the eyes purposefully for each individual based on their neurological and ocular presentation.
Step two is eye movement training to no only exercises eye muscles but also activate the required brain regions involved for each individual. There are many more things that we can layer in to prime the brain and for the therapy to have long lasting results. Some of the therapies available at BBRS are hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Pulse PEMF therapy and more.
References
Double vision. Patient’s Guide to Double Vision - Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (n.d.). https://www.brighamandwomens.org/neurology/neuro-ophthalmology/double-vision
Moodley, A. (2016b). Understanding vision and the brain. Community eye health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5365039/#:~:text=If%20the%20condition%20affects%20the%203rd%2C%204th%20or,and%20the%20visual%20cortex%20in%20the%20occipital%20lobes.
NHS. (n.d.-a). NHS choices. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/double-vision/
Podcast, V. C. (2024, February 20). Double vision (diplopia): Causes, symptoms, and treatment,. https://www.visioncenter.org/conditions/double-vision/
Yale Medicine. (2023, February 6). Diplopia (double vision). Yale Medicine. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/double-vision