Mayo Clinic to Examine Vision Therapy in Children with Convergence Insufficiency

Friday, January 20, 2006

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic seeks children and young adults between the ages of 9 and 17 with symptomatic convergence insufficiency for a research study called the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT). This study is funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) which is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Convergence insufficiency is a prevalent and distinct binocular vision disorder. Typical symptoms include double vision, eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision while reading. It affects approximately 5% of children in the United States, and may have a serious impact on an individual's performance in school, choice of jobs, and quality of life.

Qualified participants will be randomly assigned to 1) Home-based pencil push-up therapy, 2) home-based pencil push-ups with computer vision therapy/orthoptics, 3) Office-based vision therapy/orthoptics, or 4) Placebo office-based vision therapy/orthoptics.

"There is no consensus regarding the most effective treatment for convergence insufficiency," says Brian Mohney, M.D., a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist and lead research for the study. "Significant differences exist between these two treatments in terms of cost and number of office visits required, with pencil push-up therapy being less expensive and less time intensive. Until now, there have been no well-designed studies that have compared the effectiveness of these two treatments," Dr. Mohney notes.

The study will last a total of about 15 months. The visit schedule is about the same that a patient with convergence insufficiency would receive if he or she were not part of this study. The risks associated with the treatments are the same whether a patient has treatment as part of the study or not.

If you would have a child that may be eligible to participate in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial, please call the study hotline (507) 538-8119.
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