neurolenses® for Trigeminal Dysphoria
Customized, contoured prisms to treat misaligned eyes and alleviate the pain of trigeminal dysphoria
In recent years, complaints about headaches, eyestrain, neck and shoulder pain have become increasingly more common. At Washington Eye Doctors, we regularly see patients with these painful symptoms. Now, in-depth clinical research performed at neurology centers across America discovered a new link between the brain and eyes may be the source of these problems.
Studies have shown that many patients with headaches had a misalignment in their vision that caused certain symptoms whenever they used digital devices or did anything that relied upon near vision. In our high-tech society, we’re always using near vision for extended periods, which seriously taxes the visual system. To make matters worse, if you have an ocular misalignment, your visual system must work overtime to compensate. As a result, the trigeminal nerve – the largest and most complex nerve connected to the brain – can get stressed. This condition is called trigeminal dysphoria.
All About Trigeminal Dysphoria
The trigeminal nerve sends sensations from your brain to your head, eyes, neck, and shoulders. By sending signals through the ophthalmic parts of the trigeminal nerve, feedback is given to the brain about the position of each eye. That’s how your eyes avoid binocular misalignments. The ability to detect sensation and pain also depends on the transmission of signals through the trigeminal nerve.
When your eyes are misaligned, the visual system must work endlessly to compensate. This constant effort overstimulates the trigeminal nerve, leading to all the uncomfortable symptoms associated with trigeminal dysphoria.
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Effects of Digital Devices
Investigations show that 90% of people who experience trigeminal dysphoria have a greater misalignment at near than at distance. Their regular, constant use of digital devices – which relies fully on near vision – is therefore problematic, because it triggers the pain of trigeminal dysphoria.
Think about it, the average American adult uses two (or more) digital devices simultaneously and spends an average of nine hours per day staring at a digital screen. Throw ocular misalignment into that mix, and it’s no wonder that nearly 65% of adults complain of eyestrain, headaches, shoulder and neck pain. Standard prescription lenses cannot fully address all of these visual demands.
Customizing neurolenses®
To craft custom-tailored neurolenses®, it’s necessary for our Washington, D.C. eye doctors to get an objective, precise measurement of eye alignment at all distances. The neurolenses® Measurement Device achieves this by using advanced eye-tracking technology to accurately measure the degree of ocular misalignment at near and distance.
Start to finish, the eye exam takes three minutes. Patients must focus on a single point, while a dynamic image of rotating stars and planets calls upon the patient’s central and peripheral vision. The neurolenses® device measures the degree of misalignment at all distances – calculating to the 1/100th of a prism diopter. Personalized neurolenses® are made based on these numbers.
Advanced Eyewear Solution: neurolenses® Align the Eyes
Before the link between the eye and brain was understood, eye doctors would add a small amount of prisms to prescription lenses to enhance visual comfort for some patients. However, a standard prism lens can only resolve eye misalignment at a single distance. In contrast, neurolenses® are customizable prism lenses that address alignment problems at all distances.
neurolenses® use a contoured prism to gradually increase the prism from distance to near, thereby providing eye alignment at all points. In effect, these revolutionary lenses align the eyes to alleviate the symptoms of trigeminal dysphoria.
Individualized Treatment for Trigeminal Dysphoria
At our Washington, D.C. optical, neurolenses® can be made to match each patient’s unique vision condition and requirements – some people only wear plano (nonprescription) neurolenses® with contact lenses, while others will wear them mainly for work. But no matter how you wear them, the therapeutic benefits are clear.