AS + Eyes: read if you have reading probs/dizziness

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I recently went to the Visual Stress Clinic at the Institute of Optometry in London, its an NHS clinic/charity and has very reasonable rates and concessions for those on benefit etc. I've had Irlen testing before so was aware that I am sensitive to light. At this clinic they do a thorough eye test and also check the eye muscles. I had severe convergence problems and all the eye muscles were weak. The optometrist said this is very common in AS, the eyes are naturally divergent, which means dizziness, reading probs, travelling by car, tired eyes are all problematic. She said she had studied a girl with AS with severe learning difficulties and social problems after a year of exercises the girl was excelling at school, words no longer floated round the page, she was more social and eye contact had improved.
I was given several eye exercises to do and after 4 months I can read for longer periods and the dizziness has vastly improved. I would recommend anyone with eye problems to consider getting their eyes checked to rule out convergence problems. The centre also does colourimeter testing for tinted lenses for light sensitivity at more reasonable rates than Irlen.
http://www.ioo.org.uk/info0.htm

I went to a similar place in London when I was a kid. Not sure if it was that one. I remember being tired after that. Makes me pissed with all these experts I went to see I wasn't diagnosed earlier.

Hi Fresco,

Thanks so much for that! I have Irlen syndrome and amblyopia and have been seeing doctors about my eyes since I was 18 months old!

I will certainly look into booking an appointment at this clinic - thanks for the excellent information.

If you look at my avatar you might notice a slight difference between my two eyes..I am a little google eyed...it is more obvious in larger photographs...I hve a problem with words floating around the page..i have trouble wathing movies without falling asleep because they cause so much eye strain that the image will split in two and my eyes will be forced to close...I have trouble reading for long periods of time...I have bad eyesight in general...One eye is very very very bad (my left eye)..Ironic since I am a lefty and therefore a right-brainer..my other eye was once very good, but is now turning bad.
I lost my glasses months ago, but glasses did not help much because I need my periphrial vision..no glasses have ever REALLY corrected my sight..etc.etc...so I bet i have some slightly more intense visual problems

I have Strabismus Exotropia, also known as "walleye". My eyes drift out to the far corners, opposite of cross eyes. My son is 12, I was told that his eyes where "hyperreactive" at the last eye check up in the sam way mine are. In talking to my older sister, who also has this problem, she told me that it had something to do with over compensating with the eyes. My son and I have both been asked if we have problems with double vision, but we don't. however, I know as a younger girl I was assessed by a psychologist as having "jerky eye movements" and have dyslexia and other reading problems. (Since conquered). My so though, that is another story. He can spot a deer off in the bush 200meters away, even in poor light (once it was pitch black I still have NO IDEA how he saw the thing) but he is reading about 3 years below grade level! The thing is, he won't even LOOK at the page if he possibly can. I thought this was some sort of AS related thing, but I am beginning to suspect it is a vision problem! I just made an eye appointment, this thread reminded me!