Microstrabismus?

[loftmistic]

Hello,

I have been to an eye doctor and she told me that I have different dioptry in my eyes -- 0.25D in my left eye, and 0.75D in my right eye. And she said because of that I have a sign of microstrabismus in my right eye.
Can someone explain to me what exactly microstrabismus is? I read about strabismus and that's crosseyes, right? Can my microstrabismus become worse if I don't wear glasses and... I become crosseyed?
Are there any excercises I can do to train my right eye in order to decrease the microstrabismus?

Thanks,
Loft

[AmyMcP]

Thank u so much. Do u think my sister is a candidate for lasik.. She is net sighted, -3.75, reoccurring ulcers from contacts. She is slightly neglecting of contacts. Dr. States she has dryer eyes but doesn't have symptoms from It. Her Dr recommended lasik but she's concerned she will not be a candidate. What do u think?

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

microstrabismus does not usually cause any problems. It means eyes that have such a tiny misalignment that the eyes look straight and that when both eyes are open one macula is ignored while the other one is used, peripheral vision is fused from both eyes. It normally does not require any surgery, doesn't progress to bad vision.

You would need to look to some other cause for your problems. Suggest a consult with a strabismus specialist Eye MD. Find one near you at www.aao.org

JCH MD

[AmyMcP]

Hello. I have been diagnosed with microstrabismus. I have had several different pairs of glasses to help relax my focusing system.  When I need to wear them I get headaches. Then when I start getting headaches again, I have to stop wearing them
It seems as though my eyes ate just getting worse. Will they continue to deteriorate? Can this disease cause vision loss?

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

At this point I think I've gone as far as I can go. Assuming you saw a MD ophthalmologist eye physician I would rely on him/her and call the office with your questions.

If you saw a optometrist, non-MD, non-physician then I would see a Eye MD for a second opinion. Find one near you at www.aaol.org

JCH MD

[loftmistic]

Thank you again for your answer. However, you really got me worried about "Depth perception"... I don't have any problems yet, although when I look in the computer display and TV constantly, I get some strange feeling... like double vision for a moment or something like that.

Would you recommend glasses/lenses for me now? I told you about my dioptry in my first post. Should I just wear glasses when I use the computer or watch TV and prevent the depth perception becoming worse?

Thank you.

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

No depth perception cannot be improved to normal. That doesn't mean you will be a poor athlete or driver. There are professional and olympic athletes with only one eye.

It is very unlikely your eye willl cross more.

Lazy eye is an imprecise term that is often used to descsribe 1 an eye that does not see normally even with glasses 2 an eye that is not straight usually meaning turning out or 3. a drooping upper lid.

The real terms are: 1. amblyopia 2. exotrophia  3. ptosis

JCH MD

[loftmistic]

And I forgot to ask previously... Some friends told me that there is a thing called "lazy eye" and that it behaves on it's own... is that somehow connected with what I described above? Will that happen to me?

Thanks a lot!

[loftmistic]

Thank you very much for answering so quickly!

Is there a cure to increase depth perception ?
If I have microstrabismus, and reffering to Your answer to my second question above, does that mean that I won't get crosseyed or something like that in the future?

Thank You!!!

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

1. Microstrabismus (described first by Marshal Parks MD) is a misalignment of the eyes so small it is not cosmetically noticiable. However it does reduce depth perception and often cannot be treated to "cure".

2. The microstrabismus will not increase or decrease based on whether you wear your glasses. Exercises willnot help.

JCH MD