Neck and Eye Pain

Have you been experiencing severe neck and eye pain that has not responded to traditional treatments? Soreness, stiffness, and decreased range of motion in your neck can be debilitating, making it difficult to perform daily tasks and routines.

It can be overwhelming when you have attempted to get help from countless treatments, medications, and have seen multiple doctors, yet are still unable to experience chronic neck pain relief. The reason standard treatments may not help your neck ache is because Binocular Vision Dysfunction may be the root issue causing it.

Binocular Vision Dysfunction & Neck Pain

Your eyes have to work in sync with one another to see clearly and to be effective. To be completely synchronized they have to be perfectly aligned. Binocular Vision Dysfunction is a condition where there is a subtle misalignment of the eyes. Some of our patients compensate for their misalignment by tilting the head towards one shoulder, which may help to realign the images vertically, but, can lead to chronic neck pain.

For many patients, the symptoms they are experiencing with their neck pain are common in conditions for which they have been previously diagnosed, including:

• Neck Strain: With the overuse of your neck muscles and tendons comes the risk of neck strain or injury. This results in neck pain, tenderness, and a decreased range of motion. Our Binocular Vision Dysfunction patients have additional stress on their neck muscles as they often tilt their head to realign the image. Our specialized aligning lenses allow your eyes to work together to align the image, eliminating the need to tilt your head, and provide neck pain relief.
• Neck Trauma: Neck muscle activity is disrupted when a person undergoes neck trauma from a motor vehicle accident or other injury.
• Neck Muscle Spasm: When the muscles in your neck involuntarily tighten, causing a sharp or sudden pain, this condition is referred to as a muscle spasm. As a sufferer, you could experience the muscle spasm for minutes, hours, or even days and they are usually a result of overuse of the muscles or neck injuries.
• Torticollis (wry neck): With torticollis you are likely to have a head tilt and feel a combination of neck pain, neck muscle tenderness and stiffness. When your neck discomfort becomes chronic and does not heal within a few days it may be due to a vision misalignment. Our specialized aligning lenses eliminate the need for the head to tilt, allowing the head to be held upright and providing you with neck pain relief.
• Scoliosis: When you suffer from scoliosis, a misalignment of the spine, you have a sideways curvature to your spine. In some patients, this can result in a neck tilt and neck pain. However, with Binocular Vision Dysfunction, neck tilts are caused by a vision misalignment. If you are not responding to traditional treatments for your scoliosis neck pain, you may also have a vision misalignment. Our specialized aligning lenses allow your eyes to work together to align the image, eliminating the need to tilt your head and providing you with significant neck pain relief.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is a type of headache that originates from issues in the cervical spine (the neck). Unlike typical headaches that stem from the head itself, cervicogenic headaches are referred pain, meaning the pain is perceived in the head but originates from the neck. This type of headache is often caused by problems such as cervical spine or spinal cord injuries, arthritis, or poor posture.

Symptoms of Cervicogenic Headaches

• Pain that usually starts in the neck and moves to the front of the head
• Reduced range of motion in the neck
• Pain that is often one-sided
• Headache triggered by neck movement or a specific neck position

If you believe you have been misdiagnosed with cervicogenic headaches and are having vision symptoms alongside your neck pain, you may be suffering from binocular dysfunction.

The Connection Between Chronic Neck Pain and Eye Pain

When neck pain and blurry vision are interconnected, one cause can be issues related to Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD). When your eyes are misaligned, your brain struggles to merge the two images from each eye into a single, clear picture. This can cause you to tilt or turn your head to compensate for the misalignment, leading to muscle tension and chronic pain. These head and eye movements combined can cause neck pain and blurred vision.

Additionally, the constant effort to align your vision can result in

• blurred vision
• double vision
• headaches
• eye strain
• light sensitivity
  Addressing the root cause of vision misalignment with specialized aligning lenses can help alleviate these symptoms, providing relief from both neck pain and blurred vision.

Neck Muscles Responsible for Headaches

While BVD may be the true cause of your neck and eye pain, specific muscles along the cervical spine play a significant role in contributing to headaches, owing to their anatomical positions and their roles in supporting the head and facilitating movement. Several key muscles in the neck are commonly implicated in these symptoms, primarily the trapezius, suboccipital muscles, and sternocleidomastoid (SCM). In conjunction with addressing BVD, improving muscle health is critical to alleviating chronic neck pain.

Neck Pain Caused by the Trapezius Muscle

The trapezius muscle, particularly its upper portion, is one of the primary muscles involved in tension headaches and eye pain. This muscle extends from the base of the skull, down the neck, and out to the shoulders. 

When the upper trapezius is tense or strained, it can lead to tension headaches that radiate from the neck up into the head, often causing a dull, aching pain that can extend to the eyes. Contributing factors to trapezius muscle tension include poor posture, stress, and prolonged periods of sitting, especially with improper ergonomics, such as hunching over a computer or phone.

Neck Pain Caused by the Suboccipital Muscles

The suboccipital muscles are a group of small muscles located at the base of the skull. These muscles are responsible for fine motor movements of the head, such as tilting and rotating. When these muscles become tight or spasmed, they can compress nearby nerves and blood vessels, leading to headaches that often manifest as a band-like pressure around the head and pain behind the eyes. 

Suboccipital muscle strain is frequently caused by activities that involve looking down for extended periods, such as using a smartphone, reading, or working at a desk without proper ergonomic support.

Neck Pain Caused by the Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) Muscle

The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle is another critical muscle that can cause headaches. This muscle runs from the sternum and clavicle up to the mastoid process behind the ear. Dysfunction or trigger points in the SCM can refer pain to various regions, including the forehead and temples.

SCM issues commonly arise from poor posture, whiplash injuries, and tension resulting from stress. This muscle’s broad range of movement and frequent use makes it particularly susceptible to strain and tension.

What’s the Best Way to Address Your Neck Pain?

Step 1: The starting place for successfully treating neck and eye pain includes determining what root cause(s) is activating your symptoms. An issue like BVD will commonly result in a secondary headache and/or eye discomfort. If you have gone through physical therapy, seen your general practitioner, or received treatment from other soft tissue specialists, visiting an eye doctor would be the right decision to identify your root issue.

Step 2: An eye specialist, with experience in BVD cases will be able to determine if your symptoms are indeed a result of eye misalignment. With the eyes struggling to send a clear image to the brain often leading to a head tilt, the fallout of pain and strain on neck muscles and nerve fibers will persist. A trained eye doctor will be able to perform a series of in-office tests to conclude if eye misalignment is to blame.

Step 3: If BVD is the cause, your eye doctor will provide a custom treatment plan to address the vision dysfunction. This often results in the use of prism lenses. These specialized glasses bend light to shift the images to be seen correctly by the eyes and properly transmitted to the brain.

Step 4: Prism lenses typically make a major improvement during the first NeuroVisual exam individuals suffering from BVD. In addition to this treatment course, practicing at-home care for your neck and eye pain is also recommended. As symptoms dissolve with the addition of prism lenses, actions to further reduce the impact of headaches and neck spasms are important. This can include light massage, heating and icing, proper posture, reduced screen time, and more.

Step 5: Through the treatment of a BVD specialist, chronic muscle tension, neck discomfort, and eye pain will significantly subside. However, to maintain good eye health and proper visual acuity, it is strongly suggested to maintain yearly visits with your eye doctor to support continued care.

Call Vision Specialists of Michigan

At Vision Specialists of Michigan, our compassionate doctors conduct thorough NeuroVisual Examinations to diagnose and treat vision misalignment with specialized aligning lenses. These lenses address Binocular Vision Dysfunction, blurred vision, and other eyesight impairments, allowing your eyes to work together without tilting your head. This can provide significant neck pain relief, improving your ability to perform daily tasks and enjoy your favorite activities. Contact us today or complete our screening questionnaire to see if we can help you.