Hi! Okay I talked to the woamn that I know who is an OD about Your questions Cricket2. Here is what she said:
"The question as to who can diagnose CI is a little tricky. Yes, we are all legally able to diagnose it and we are taught it in school. It is a relatively objective set of tests. However, the average eye doctor probably diagnoses CI or other VT issues maybe once or twice a year when it's a patient with crossed eyes or obvious headaches and double vision when reading. The rest of the time, they just don't do the tests that would uncover the problem. They really don't.
Now if she specifically went in there and said "I think my child has convergence insufficiency and I would like you to test for it", they could manage to do a test or two. The one that's most relevant is called the "Near Point of Convergence" or NPC. That's when we bring a shiny ball (or sometimes a pen or toy) slowly up toward the patient's nose and have them follow it in closer with both eyes together, watching for one eye to lose grasp and listening whether the patient gets double vision. There are also other tests of their eye positioning and ability to handle a convergence demand. The NPC is the most basic and easiest to do, so that's probably the other test the doctor was going to add on.
But honestly, why not go to a doctor that actually treats the problem to make the diagnosis? It's the same co-payment."
I hope that helps you Cricket! I may private message to make sure you get the info...
