Question
My daughter had five surgeries prior to the age of two for stabismus. They
were all performed by a
pediatric opthomologist, Richard Elliot. When he
wanted to do surgery #6, we balked. My daughter
is now 21 and the left eye follows an A pattern
and moves to the left, most noticably when she is
tired. She has developed some coping strategies
to deal with her self-consciousness of the eye.
The opthomologist we see on a regular basis said
he is not the man to perform the surgery. He said
she deserves to have it done by someone who an
expert in the field and not disappoint us. The
doctor who performed the first 5 surgeries was
supposed to be an expert! Where do we go for
help?
Thank you.
(Marilyn)
Answer:
Dear Marilyn,
A-patteren motility (eyes converging=moving-towards-nose when looking up and
diverging=eyes-moving-outward when looking down) is one of the most difficult
conditions to treat. Many patients with A-pattern motility have complaints. It 's so
unnatural: Normal people read in downgaze and therefore converge in downgaze, and this
is just the opposite ! If any surgery is contemplated, the first thing to do is to get rid of
the A-pattern as much as possible. If you live in Anaheim, please contact Professor Joe
Demer (Jules Stein Eye Institute, 100 Stein Plaza, UCLA, LA, CA90024-7002) for an
exam and advice. He may refer you to someone else though, for this specific problem.
Yours truly,
(Herb Simonsz, MD, PhD)
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