People with symptomatic convergence insufficiency (a condition where the eyes don’t work together well when focusing on close objects) have smaller volumes in a specific brain pathway called the arcuate fasciculus. This pathway is important for reading and language, and smaller volume may be linked to reading difficulties. The smaller volume and altered tissue quality in the left arcuate fasciculus were associated with more severe symptoms related to reading, suggesting that these brain differences may contribute to the reading challenges experienced by people with convergence insufficiency.
Zeng Y, Oechslin TS, Widmer DE, Kulp MT, Fogt N, Toole A, Manning S, Osher DE. Neural consequences of symptomatic convergence insufficiency: A small sample study. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2024 May;44(3):537-545. doi: 10.1111/opo.13303. Epub 2024 Mar 21. PMID: 38515331.