strabismus surgery

[stacey2286]

I am 23 and had strabismus surgery for intermittent exotropia nearly a year ago. I'm left with a lot of double vision. My eye is drifting inward and outward now. I've been told that this is not common. When I research I don't find anything about an eye drifting both ways. It seems to be some sort of focusing issue. At near my eye also drifts very far out. The main problem is the eye drifting out. But the double vision is mainly caused by it going inward. Any advice? I've tried patching to relax my eye muscles. I've tried various prisms but I still have double vision with them. I'm about to begin a treatment with bifocals and dilating eye drops. The dilating eye drops will make my vision very blurry at near and the bifocals are supposed to do the work for my focusing ability. This is supposed to help my eye muscles relax.

How common does my situation seem to be? I have regular headaches and I become dizzy from the double vision.

[stacey2286]

Doctor, thank you for your response. This is what my doctor has told me, that I am over accommodating. Do you think that I can be helped by another surgery? You are right that in the distance I experience double vision most often. It's hard to keep single vision no matter where I look. The double vision is very distracting and I still have headaches from the eye drifting which I was hoping the surgery would cure.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

It seems you are over accommodating.  I believe that is why the doctor is prescribing bifocals and dilating drops.  

Trying to focus on a distant object should help.

Dr. O.