Strabismus (lazy eye but not really)?

Question

I've been saying that I've had a lazy eye for years, but apparently that term only applies when one has Amblyopia, where the brain suppresses the vision in one eye.

I have strabismus, my vision is fine in both eyes, but my left eye (sometimes my right, but mostly my left) turns outwards a lot. It's something that I'm quite self-conscious about. I vaguely remember being told to do eye exercises as a child, but at some stage I stopped them. I'm twenty-seven now, is there any chance of being able to improve my condition at my age? Or is surgery my only option? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

It sounds like you have alternating strabismus. I have this.
Strabismus is a vaugue term for when the eyes dont alighn together and so they dont work together. The alternating part comes from you using one eye and it getting fatigued and so the other takes over. You are always only using one eye because the eyes are not alighned so the brain does in fact surpress the images from the other. (The brain can not decifer 2 different focus points at the same time)
As far as the eye exercises I personally and professionally think its a load of crap. Most of these high dollar programs consist of doing things on a computer screen. Vision is a learned skill that starts developing in a 3-D sense and as we learn to perfect that we progress to a 2-D field such as reading, tv, and computer screens. 3-D vision deals more with our ability to track things in moving space (around us) ability to judge depth (like with stairs and curbs) and things like that. To jump directly to the 2-D field when we havent mastered 3-D is just retarded in my opinion.
Our district spent thousands of dollars on a program called PAVE and it has taken me 7 years but I have finally convinced them its a waste of time and money.
There are some vision programs that are good however. They go back and take a more developmental approach to vision and prescribe excersises that try to retrain the vision to be used in a 3-d field. But the thing is UNLESS the eyes are in alighment this does no good...so surgery has to be done first.
I work in Occupational Therapy in the schools and cant tell you how many times my supervisor would write OT goals for eye excersises yet the kid had jacked up alighment just like me or you. Finally after alot more research I flat out started refusing to do this. My arguement was it was useless and often painful. I am an OT not a surgeon!! Also these type of execises can actually cause more damage such as double vision. {Stepping off my soap box}
On another note sometimes glasses help pull the eye in alighnment and also taking the strain off the eyes, reducing pain a fatigue. I have 20/20 vision in both eyes but have glasses for this.

Answer 2

I have a lazy eye too.. since I was little. I really don't have any problems with doing regular things. But I'm not good with sports or driving. My right eye crosses in and I almost never use it, but my left eye is very good.

Answer 3

Hi, I've had this condition all my life (I'm 58) and I had the useless eye exercises as a child too. You're young enough to have the eye surgery and learn to build up muscle control in the eye afterwards to keep it straight. I don't think eye patches and exercises will correct your strabimus by themselves but if you see an optometrist they'll be able to give you the right options.

Answer 4

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