Exotropia Question

Hi. Ok, my right eye is a lazy eye. I had the same glasses for about 5 years and the prescription was extremely out of date. About 2 weeks ago I got a new prescription that was much stronger, and it seemed to have made my lazy eye stop wandering. It aligned with my left one perfectly at all times, unless I took off my glasses, or right when I woke up.

Yesterday, I was working in the sun all day, so my right eye was squinted shut about 7 or 8 hours. As the day wore on I realized my right eye was back to wandering again even with my new glasses on. I thought maybe it was wandering due to the fact that it had been basically closed all day, but this morning it's still not locking in with the other eye the way it usually does.

So, my question is.. is it possible that my eye just got used to the new stronger lens prescription, so it's going back to wandering? Or is it maybe just that it got weak from being closed all day, and I'll just have to keep using it for a little bit before it lines back up with my left?

I'm really anxious to see what will happen and I'd appreciate any information people may have. Thank you.

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

You have exotropia (XT).  I am guessing that your prescription is for nearsightedness.  When you are nearsighted and your glasses aren't strong enough the XT is much harder for your brain to control.  So getting up to date glasses and having the eye straighten out makes perfect sense.

It may take a day or two for your brain to "get a grip" on your right eye again.  Squinting one eye shut in sunlight is extremely common in patients with XT.  I would be optimistic if I were you.  You might also try covering your left eye for 2 hours in the evening to get your brain to reconnect to your right eye.  Ultimately eye muscle surgery might be needed to keep the eye under sufficient control.  Definitely you need to keep your glasses up to date.

You can learn a lot more about XT at www.aapos.org.