Adult Strabismus

Strabismus is an ocular misalignment in one eye compared to the other.  One eye may be higher (hypertropia), lower (hypotropia), inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia) or twisted (cyclotropia) relative to the other.  In adults, strabismus may be a recurrence of childhood strabismus or new-onset in adulthood.  This affects approximately 1 in every 25 people in their lifetime.  Often, adults who have an ocular misalignment also have double vision.

New-onset strabismus in adults can be due to a variety of causes.  These can include neurological disorders, (stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and others), trauma, thyroid disease, other surgical procedures (sinus surgery, neurosurgery), cranial nerve palsies (where the nerve connecting to the eye muscle stops working), or decompensation of a long-standing ocular misalignment that the brain could hold together by itself.

After seeing the ophthalmologist, she will recommend treatment options for you.

Treatment options typically include:

1. Observation (just watching and making sure the misalignment does not get worse)

2. Prism glasses (changing glasses prescription to include lenses that can re-align the eyes)

3. Strabismus surgery (an option for larger amounts of ocular misalignments)

The American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus has further details.  Please see their website for further information.