Me and ADHD
In case it&#x27;s helpful for anyone else who, broadly speaking, has trouble with attention or learning though isn&#x27;t convinced its ADHD: get your eyes checked.<p>&quot;Due to similar symptoms, an undetected visual dysfunction can be misdiagnosed as ADD&#x2F;ADHD, dyslexia or a reading disability. A comprehensive eye exam, which rules out a binocular vision dysfunction, is critical to determining if vision is a contributing factor.&quot;<p>See: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;walesby3d.com&#x2F;vision-learning&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;walesby3d.com&#x2F;vision-learning&#x2F;</a> and <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;walesby3d.com&#x2F;what-is-vision-therapy&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;walesby3d.com&#x2F;what-is-vision-therapy&#x2F;</a><p>For years I had trouble concentrating and sticking with a task. It felt like my eyes were exhausted even after a few hours of simple computer work, so I was constantly getting up and looking away and taking breaks. This led to not even wanting to pay attention or focus on anything at all, especially on screen, because I knew I wouldn&#x27;t be able to stick with it. It felt like my brain was mush.<p>Fast forward almost five years of twitching from one task to the next, it started to feel like my vision was getting worse. I wasn&#x27;t having any luck getting my prescription right with the eye doctor I had been seeing, so I went to another doctor, then another, then another, until one doctor refused to write me a new prescription because she picked up on a slight muscle imbalance in one of my eyes, which was preventing my eyes from tracking and converging together.<p>She sent me to a pediatric vision specialist (they&#x27;ll see adults) who primarily deal with muscular dysfunction in the eye—these folks quite literally changed my life.<p>Turns out I have all sorts of muscular issues with one of my eyes, which causes both eyes to work overtime trying to coordinate and focus together. This led to tired eyes, and a tired, sleepy brain. Long story short, it took a few months to get the prescription just right, along with some initial vision therapy, but once I got used to the new glasses, my ability to focus returned almost overnight. Everything felt so much calmer—reading, writing, thinking, driving, speaking.<p>These days, after a handful of changes to my prescription over the years, I&#x27;ve reached a dead-end with lens corrections, so surgery is the only option left if things get worse. But so far, the glasses with appropriate corrections have been absolutely incredible.<p>Anyway, I just wanted to post this in case it&#x27;s helpful to someone who is lurking with tired eyes and a fractured attention span. You want an optometrist with F.C.O.V.D after their name, someone who specializes in binocular vision and muscular dysfunction.