What type of visual disorder is convergence insufficiency?

Convergence insufficiency is classified as an eye teaming issue. This disorder involves a difficulty in coordinating the movement of both eyes toward a common point, particularly when focusing on nearby objects. Individuals with convergence insufficiency struggle to maintain clear and comfortable vision when performing tasks that require close-up work, such as reading.

This condition affects the ability to converge, which is the inward movement of the eyes to maintain single binocular vision in response to visual stimuli, like reading. The symptoms often include eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision.

Understanding that convergence insufficiency specifically pertains to problems with eye teaming helps to differentiate it from refractive errors, which involve focusing issues typically corrected with glasses, and strabismus, which refers to misalignment of the eyes. It also differs from visual processing disorders, which impact how the brain interprets visual information rather than how the eyes work together.