|Accommodative Esotropia |
When you were young, your mother probably told you to stop crossing your eyes because if didn’t, they might get stuck that way. While there is no truth at all to this myth, it is possible that infants and young children can develop misaligned eyes, a condition that is called strabismus .
There are several types of strabismus. (See figure 1) If one eye turns inward it is called esotropia , while if an eye turns outward it is called&n...Read More
|Congenital Esotropia |
Esotropia refers to the inward turning of the eye toward the nose. The term for misaligned eyes of all types is “strabismus.” A misalignment that is present all the time is constant; when present only part of the time it is intermittent. In some cases of esotropia the same eye always does the deviating while in others the eyes may alternate. Alternating esotropia can be quite confusing to parents trying to figure out which eye is the straight eye.
Strabismus may be caused b...Read More
|Convergence Excess |
There are six muscles attached to each eye called extra-ocular muscles that are responsible for moving the eyes in tandem in all directions. When they work as they should, in perfect synchrony, they help provide effortless coordination of the eyes at all distances and ranges of vision, all day long. (In figure 1 we see a diagram of how the muscles are attached to the globe.)
We need to be able to converge our eyes; while eyes looking straight ahead are not normally converged, when we read so...Read More
|Convergence Insufficiency |
There are six muscles attached to each eye that control movement of the eyes in all directions. When these extra-ocular muscles are working in perfect harmony, it is comfortable and easy to perform visual tasks at any distance and at any direction of gaze. (Right: a diagram of the six muscles.)
Convergence may be thought of as the ability to cross the eyes; as funny as this may sound, w...Read More
|Duane's Syndrome |
Example of Duane s Syndrome affecting the right eye. The right eye has difficulty turning outwards and the lid aperture narrows. Duane’s syndrome is an unusual eye muscle problem. It is a type of strabismus a term that describes eyes that are not properly aligned or do not move normally. With Duane’s the eyes do not always move together because the affected eye has limited movement in one direction (usually outward). Children with Duane’s syndrome are otherwise healthy an...Read More
Whenever the eyes are not aligned properly, the term strabismus applies. Pronounced "struh-biz-mus," people with this condition have been referred to in the past as "cross-eyed," "wall-eyed" or were said to have a "squint." These terms are all outdated and are no longer used by vision professionals, but people seeking information about the condition may see them mentioned.
Strabismus means that one eye is misaligned when compared to the other; while one eye fixates straight ahe...Read More
|Strabismus (general description) |
Strabismus (general description) The medical term for crossed eyes is strabismus (strah-biz mus). This condition means that one or both eyes are misaligned. Strabismus may be caused by abnormalities with the eye muscles with the nerves controlling the eye muscles or with the brain where the vision signals are processed. The condition affects an estimated 5 per cent of the population. Strabismus is usually present in children before the age of three.
Crossed eyes can be a sign of a serious il...Read More