Experience with overcorrection after strabismus surgery

[Madison88]

I had strabismus surgery 7 days ago.  I had a lot of pain through day 4 for which I took Percocet and used frozen peas as a cold compress.  I had to return to work on day 5 and now the pain seems to be from overuse of my eyes by mid/late day.  I have very little vision in the eye that was operated on due to an accident many years ago.  However, after the surgery I do have some double vision as the severe overcorrection (crossing) is causing this.  I had exotropia but have what I consider to be a significant overcorrection (can see no white in inner corner, iris is touching corner & my eye appears to be looking at my nose).  I am very distressed and feel it was a mistake to have surgery as my previous eye position seems better than my surgically corrected one.  I have privately messaged one person that has given me some hope for a change in the overcorrection in the next couple weeks, but I am looking for more people with examples of post surgical overcorrection that at some point led to eye alignment.  Can anyone please share their experience?  Also, if you're never achieved alignment & have since had a second surgery I'd like to know that as well.  Right now I am avoiding anything social and wear a patch in public.  I cannot continue like this :(

[Nesser12]

I had surgery a week ago on both eyes. Two days after my left eye was more swollen and it is pointing outward now. I am upset too. My post op is tomorrow and I fear it will be difficult to dry and return to the lab as a supervisor

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

About 30% of strabismus operations require a second procedure about 5% require a 3rd. See what your surgeon says.

[Madison88]

Good luck!! I know how difficult it is when people say you need to give it time to settle into its final position.  I had double vision for 5 months afterward which I think made me strain my eyes a lot & my job at a computer was difficult and caused headaches.  Ultimately in my case I did have to have the surgery again 6 months later to correct the over correction.  It was no fun doing it twice in a year but now my result is much better.  

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

Double vision post operative is not a bad thing, it stimulates the brain to try and align the the eyes properly.  That that have lost this ability to 'fuse' are like a ship without a rudder and the eyes will only unusually stay straight.

[JohnHaganMD]

When dealing with exotrophia (wall eyes) and the outward drifting eye does not have good vision eye muscle surgery has the highest degree of success if the eye is intentionally over corrected and left crossed.  Especially given your pain it is highly likely that the operated muscles have some degree of cramping and spasm. While no one can tell you for sure what will happen generally over 2-6 weeks the eye moves away from the nose into a more straight position.  If that were not the case there are still some things the eye muscle surgeon could do to try and help you short of more surgery. Glasses and botox injections being considerations.