I am 18 years old. I have congenital exotropia (not hereditary,
as far as I've been told) and an amblyotropic left eye. I use the right eye
for focusing on objects, for reading, writing, watching TV, drawing...; all
I use my left eye for is 'viewing the landscape', for 'general purpose
viewing'. Thus it has grown pretty lazy. I don't think I have strabismus in
only one eye, for as I look through the right eye the left one points
slightly up and outwards, and the same happens with the right eye when I
look through the left one (I don't do this much).
I remember being about 9 years when first I looked straight at the mirror
and realized I could bring both eyes straight forward with some effort.
I've been doing this ever since, looking straight at people's eyes and
using them as 'reference marks'. My problem has always bothered me
immensely and by doing this at least I look more normal (some people don't
even notice I've got strabismus), but it strains my eyes so that I can't
look that way for three minutes without now and then having to rest my
vision upon something on the ground. I've never been informed whether this
is harmless or not, but it is the only way to look almost normal... Now
comes the drama. I was about 3 when I started using glasses (for myopia
only) but I didn't use them for a long time. I was bothered by them and my
father always let me remove them, so I quit soon. He was scared to death of
submitting me to a surgery, and I, as a 4, 5 year old would do, cried
whenever the doctors brought up the subject. So the story went. I remember
trying to use glasses for myopia a few times, but I never kept them for
more than a year or so. I haven't been using them since I was 12. My right
eye is 'wonderful', in my own words (I must have little myopia there),
while my left one is 'awful'; so I went through the years using primarily
the right eye, and looking at people forcing the eyes straight. Now I am
finally convincing my parents I am in desperate need for a surgery (I'm
tired of worrying about people noticing my squint or not, and sick and
tired of postponing romance until I'm 'cured'). I have some doubts I'd like
to wipe from my overloaded head: Can a surgery really work AT FIRST TRY? My
problem doesn't bother me much functionally, but is a pain in the ass
cosmetically. Everybody says I've got beautiful green eyes, and I do like
them - straight.
I never saw double. Can it happen then?
Is there the least possibility to acquire a better vision for my amblyopic
left eye or will I be condemned to using glasses or contact lenses? When I
bring both eyes straight, I get *very* near-sighted. Will it happen after a
surgery or does it happen out of strain? I am aware I will never see real
3D, but will it be a severe handicap when I start driving? Will I tumble
down stairs for the next few months after the surgery or is it a matter of
days? I am terrified of local anesthesy and I know general anesthesy can
bring out that PONV thing. I can handle it. But will I have severe
headaches for a long time after the surgery? Wow, thank you very much in
advance. I am relieved there is room for us squints on the net, so that we
can skip the traumatic process of telling our dramas and asking our
questions live. I only hope you can handle mine soon... :)
(Amanda)
Dear Amanda,
You seem to have an outward squint, in combination with myopia and an
amblyopic left eye. You are able to straighten your eyes momentarily by
focusing and converging excessively. As looking with one eye results in the
other eye going up you most likely have "dissociated vertical deviation"
which occurs only in patients that squint from birth. Have yourself
examined and operated by an ophthalmologist that does a lot of strabismus
surgery. Most likely he will lengthen the outer muscle of the left eye and
shorten the inner muscle of the left eye and, in your case, that seems
certainly worthwhile. The chance that the divergent squint recurs years
after successful surgery is appreciable, about one in three on a lifetime
basis. It simply has a tendency to increase with age, nobody knows why.
Don't worry about problems with driving, tumbling down stairs or headaches
in advance, chances there are only slight.
Yours truly,
(Herb Simonsz, MD, PhD)
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