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Study shows convergence insufficiency treatment improves performance
 Eric Borsting |
BOSTON — Significant improvements were found in academic behaviors and attention as a result of accommodative therapy for convergence insufficiency.
Eric Borsting, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVD, reported at a press conference during Academy 2011 Boston that this pilot study, which was conducted under the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial, involved 45 children between 9 and 17 years old with symptoms of convergence insufficiency.
"All received 16 weeks of therapy, with 8 weeks of maintenance therapy where they're not coming in every week," Dr. Borsting said.
"The Conners 3 ADHD Index is a 10-item survey that screens for attention problems in children, including 'inattention' and 'easily distracted,' and the Academic Behavior Survey is a six-item survey of behaviors a parent can observe, such as 'appears inattentive' and 'avoids reading,'" he said.
"Here I'm reporting data from the two surveys," Dr. Borsting said. "For both surveys, I found significant improvement in scores."
Dr. Borsting noted some limitations of the pilot study: it had only one treatment arm and there was no masking. "We have the potential of overestimating the true impact," he added.
The project was supported by a grant from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, according to the study abstract.