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Primitive Reflex Digital Course
Headaches that won’t go away. Trouble reading or switching between screens. Feeling drained after a day at your desk. These might not be random quirks—they could be signs of ocular motor deficits.
In this episode, we’re diving into how visual-ocular challenges—convergence, saccades, and pursuits—can impact adults in everyday life. You’ll hear a personal story, a powerful example of how unresolved visual motor skills led to chronic headaches, and how vision therapy changed everything.
We’ll also unpack thekey signs of ocular motor dysfunction in adults, how they’re often linked toheadaches, fatigue, and even ADHD symptoms, and whyprimitive reflexes might still be at play long after childhood. You’ll learn simple screening tools to try at home and get expert insight into what interventions actually help.
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Have you ever noticed that after a long day of working at a screen, reading, or writing, your eyes feel tired, your head aches, and your concentration slips? You might be tempted to chalk it up to “just being tired” or needing new glasses, but what if the root cause goes deeper—into how your eyes and brain work together?
Ocular motor skills refer to the eye's ability to move smoothly, accurately, and in coordination. These movements are essential for everyday tasks like reading, writing, driving, and even scrolling through your phone.
The main types of ocular motor movements include:
Convergence and Divergence: Moving your eyes inward (crossing) and outward to track near and far objects.
Saccades: Quick jumps between two points, like scanning a page or shifting focus from screen to keyboard.
Visual Pursuits (Tracking): Following a moving object smoothly, like a car on the road or a ball in a game.
If these functions are weak or uncoordinated, your brain must work overtime to compensate, which can lead to eye strain, fatigue, and even headaches or dizziness.
Many people associate visual challenges with childhood development, but adults can also struggle with underdeveloped or regressed ocular motor skills. This can happen for several reasons:
Developmental deficits that were never addressed.
Neurological events or trauma.
Prolonged screen time causing strain and poor visual habits.
Retained primitive reflexes, such as the TLR, ATNR, and STNR, which impact postural control and visual-motor development.
One of our own team members at Harkla experienced debilitating migraines tied to undiagnosed ocular motor deficits. After starting vision therapy and incorporating primitive reflex integration exercises, she saw significant improvements, not just in her headaches, but in her productivity and daily comfort.
Here are some common signs that your visual system might be struggling:
Frequent headaches or migraines.
Eye strain, squinting, or needing to blink often.
Difficulty reading or frequently losing your place.
Motion sickness, dizziness, or vertigo.
Fatigue when reading or working on a screen.
Poor depth perception or clumsiness.
Avoiding activities like reading or focusing on screens for too long.
When ocular motor skills aren't functioning properly, the brain has to work harder to decode what the eyes are seeing. That extra cognitive and physical load can:
Slow down comprehension.
Trigger fatigue.
Lead to avoidance behaviors.
Contribute to emotional dysregulation like frustration and irritability.
Think of it like running with a limp—you’ll get tired faster, and over time, your whole body (and brain) will feel it.
Retained primitive reflexes—automatic movements developed in infancy—can directly impact ocular motor development. For adults, retained reflexes may contribute to symptoms like:
Poor hand-eye coordination.
Impulsivity and attention issues.
Postural instability while reading or working.
Regression in visual tracking.
The TLR, ATNR, and STNR reflexes are especially influential here. Integrating these reflexes through daily exercises can strengthen the foundation for improved visual function and neurological efficiency.
Standard eye exams often overlook ocular motor skills. Ask for an evaluation by a developmental optometrist or neuro-optometrist who specializes in vision therapy.
Vision therapy includes exercises that target convergence, tracking, and saccadic movement. Many therapists also incorporate primitive reflex integration into their programs.
If you’re on screens all day:
Set a timer to take a5-minute break every 30–45 minutes.
Get up, stretch, andlook at something far away.
Go outside fornatural light exposure.
Activities like pencil push-ups, figure-eight tracking, and visual games (like ball toss or balloon volleyball) can be surprisingly effective. These are even more powerful when paired with gross motor movements like crawling.
Blue light blocking glasses (e.g., RA Optics).
Adjustable screen brightness.
Postural awareness to avoid neck and eye strain.
Harkla offers a range of digital resources and a reflex integration course to help adults and children address the neurological roots of these challenges. Simple movements like crawling, lizard crawls, or Superman holds can be done at home with no special equipment.
A member of our Harkla team was dealing with migraines so severe they interfered with her work. After starting vision therapy and combining it with primitive reflex integration, she noticed a drastic improvement.
She implemented screen breaks, blue light glasses, and a rolling routine—all of which helped reduce her symptoms and improve her ability to work comfortably.
If you’re struggling with eye fatigue, headaches, or trouble focusing, know these challenges are common and treatable. Your brain and body are incredibly adaptable, and with the right tools, you can create meaningful changes in your daily life.
BORING, BUT NECESSARY LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
While we make every effort to share correct information, we are still learning. We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art. One doctor / therapist may have a different way of doing things from another. We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidenced based as possible. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your children. Consult your child’s pediatrician/ therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Rachel Harrington, Harkla, Jessica Hill, or any guests or contributors to the podcast, as well as any employees, associates, or affiliates of Harkla, be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast.
Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.
This podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.
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