Exophoria

[valley86]

Hi Dr., this is the last question I will ask you I promise. When people have exophoria sometimes can you see the eye drift out and then as soon as you blink it goes back? If it does drift out and come right back can the exophoria still be benign? When you mean most of exophoria is benign would you say 90% or more like 50%? Can my son have  intermittent exotropia if the eye only drifts out for a second and doesn't ever stay like that? Exotropia is when the eye stays outward for several minutes or even hours right?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

No, children with only one eye or with constantly misaligned eyes can usually do those tasks normally.
JCH MD

[Mom190581]

Can exophoria cause a child to color in badly and write his name badly with inverting some letters some times and other times oing it perfectly. My son is 5 1/2 and just can't do the close up work its really hard and I thought it was the laziness of his fingers - can the exophoria be a factor to this bad close up work behavior?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Momentary external misalignment would not be considered a exotrophia. If out for minutes to hourse then intermittent exotropha.

In both exophoria and exotropia most patients achieve good vision, much less ambllyopia than crossed eyes surgery is done on perahps 20 % of exotrophia.

JCH MD