TMJ and Vision Disorders: Is There a Connection?

By Jeffrey L. Brown, DDS

Sleep & TMJ Therapy

. http://sleepandtmjtherapy.com/

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TMJ and Vision Disorders: Is There a Connection?

If you ask most doctors if there is a connection between TMD (Temporomandibular Disorder) and vision, they will say there is not. However, if you really think about it, there can most certainly be a connection. The reason is the articular discs (jaw joint discs) are out of place, and inflammatory reaction sets into the body causing problems. This inflammation can work its way throughout the entire body and will have a negative effect on many systems. Did you know that TMJ disorder correlates with many disease states and even to cancer? One of the overlapping symptoms of oral cancer is jaw pain. Going further, if you have slipped discs in the jaw joints, this might affect the eyes and your vision can be compromised with blurry vision.

Another poorly understood aspect of vision disorder can also correlate to distortion of the cranial bones. Research indicates that around 95% of us have bones in the skull that are not in alignment –  i.e. they are distorted to some extent. Oftentimes, it is the sphenoid bone that goes right behind the eyes that is not level. When the sphenoid is not level as it should be, this will have the effect of making the eyes uneven which could cause distortion to your vision. If you ever notice that the frames of your glasses- the arm of the eyeglasses for example- are not level when you take your glasses off, it could be due to an uneven sphenoid bone. So now imagine you are walking down the street and your head is tilted to one side. This makes the eyes tilt as well and you can feel dizzy from this experience. Another observation might be that one eye is forward relative to the other due to a different kind of cranial distortion. This means one eye is ahead of the other. This will also cause potential eye problems due to the imbalances.

What does a person do about these issues? Well, maybe it’s a simple matter of vision correction: glasses, contacts, Lasik, etc. But what about a way to correct these imbalances? This is where the ALF wire steps in. This little wire is so gentle and ever so lightly levels the bones of the cranium while opening up a bit of the ‘tight’ areas in the skull. The leveling effect will help the bones become even and the eyes respond accordingly. The effect of opening takes pressure off the skull and even the eyes. This might help with vision distortions from the imbalances.

What does all this mean?  It is often not as simple as seeing the optometrist and getting vision correction. It might also be logical to discuss with an ALF dentist if the cranial bones have some degree of distortion and if this can be corrected as well! This may not seem to be in the normal realm of what we normally would consider, but when you think about it, it really makes sense!