My 10 year old son has exophoria...getting worse with age.

[shanmardev]

I have a 10 year old son who was officially diagnosed with exophoria around 3 years ago. He has been wearing prism glasses since then. I first noticed his eyes, especially his left eye turn outward since he was 2. There is not much info on exophoria on the web, and I have been reading up on the condition by reading the posts. Last year, he went to a specialist who said he didnt need surgery as of yet, and for him to continue to wear his glasses. However, here are my concerns..
-I was told that the exophoria usually gets worse with age, and in some cases the eye could "freeze" in the outward position.
-The glasses are not helping him. He complains of frequent headaches, his eyes still deviate outward even with his glasses. If i tell him to "fix his eyes", he"ll close his eyes and they appear better. The older he gets, the worse I notice it. The kids at school are starting to ask him if hes cross eyed. He already gets picked on at school, and now they pick on him because of his eyes. He has an appt with a ped opthlmologist next month.
I have seriously been contemplating surgery for him, especially if this condition seems to be getting worse. Wouldnt it make sense to go through the surgery while he is young so he dont have to deal with it when hes older? I'm a very concerned mother who would like some suggestions. Would this surgery be laser surgery? Please advise.

[shanmardev]

Yes, he was referred to one by his optometrist. That was a year ago, and the ped opthalmologist said he didn't want to jump the gun with surgery because my son seemed to control it. His eyes are straight, but one seems to wander outward some of the time, but enough to notice. I was told it's laser surgery to correct it, but I don't know much about it. Of course I worry about his headaches and occasional double vision, but the social issues with this as well.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Your son has exotropia NOR exophoria.  Surgery at a younger age is probably better.  Is your son seeing a pediatric ophthalmologist?

Dr. O.