Eye Movement Disorders

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

When you look at an object, you're using several muscles to move both eyes to focus on it. If you have a problem with the muscles, the eyes don't work properly.

There are many kinds of eye movement disorders. Two common ones are

• Strabismus - a disorder in which the two eyes don't line up in the same direction. This results in "crossed eyes" or "walleye."
• Nystagmus - fast, uncontrollable movements of the eyes, sometimes called "dancing eyes"

Some eye movement disorders are present at birth. Others develop over time and may be associated with other problems, such as injuries. Treatments include glasses, patches, eye muscle exercises, and surgery. There is no cure for some kinds of eye movement disorders, such as most kinds of nystagmus.

Start Here

• Nystagmus (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• Strabismus (Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Dilating Eye Drops (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Strabismus Measurements (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Videonystagmography (VNG) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Vision Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Anesthesia for Adults Having Eye Surgery (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Eye muscle repair - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Strabismus Surgery (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

Related Issues

• Abnormal Head Position (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary

Specifics

• Accommodative Esotropia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Brown Syndrome (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Conjugate Gaze Palsies (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Convergence Insufficiency (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Dissociated Vertical Deviation (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Duane Syndrome (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Esotropia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Exotropia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Microvascular Cranial Nerve Palsy (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• Monocular Elevation Deficiency - Double Elevator Palsy (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Oculomotor Apraxia (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

Genetics

• ataxia with oculomotor apraxia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Duane-radial ray syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• horizontal gaze palsy with progressive scoliosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• isolated Duane retraction syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Learning about Duane Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)
• progressive external ophthalmoplegia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• X-linked infantile nystagmus: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Strabismus: Botox Treatment (American Academy of Ophthalmology)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Nystagmus, Pathologic (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ocular Motility Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Strabismus (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Postoperative Behaviour after Primary Strabismus Surgery in Children: Is There an...
• Article: Comparison of surgical outcomes between lateral rectus recession and medial rectus...
• Article: Author response: COVID-19 presenting with ophthalmoparesis from cranial nerve palsy.
• Eye Movement Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Anatomy of the Eye (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Diagram of the Eye (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish
• Glossary of Terms (Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology)

Find an Expert

• Finding an Eye Doctor (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish
• National Eye Institute

Adults

• Adult Strabismus (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

Patient Handouts

• Cranial mononeuropathy III (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cranial mononeuropathy VI (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eye muscle repair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Nystagmus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Strabismus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Supranuclear ophthalmoplegia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish