Intermittent exotropia affects those who notice their eyes moving outward when fatigued or have low vision; without treatment, this condition could worsen over time.
Eye exercises may help correct misalignments and enhance binocular vision. Two in particular – brock string and pencil push-ups – show promise in improving intermittent exotropia control according to a recent study published in BMC Ophthalmology.
Barrel Convergence Card Exercise
Eye exercises can be an effective solution to exotropia. Eye converge and focus exercises such as the Barrel Convergence Card Exercise can strengthen eye muscles, leading to improved convergence and reduced symptoms of strabismus like blurry vision.
To perform this exercise, draw three red barrels with different sizes on one side and three identical green ones on the other. Hold this card up in front of you and focus on one barrel until both colors merge into a single image; all other barrels should remain double. Next focus on middle barrel and then finally on small ones until all four become single images. Repeat these steps with middle and then small barrels.
Exercise for people with convergence deficits may be challenging as both sides of their eyes may clash when trying to focus on close objects. Because of this, it is vitally important that these exercises be practiced regularly so as to establish stronger convergence patterns.
Although it remains to be determined if the Barrel Convergence Card Exercise can effectively treat all forms of exotropia, it has proven effective for many patients who experience exotropia. Furthermore, it can reduce episodes of eye strain which is commonly experienced due to exotropia.
Pencil Push-Ups eye exercise provides another at-home treatment option to lessen the severity of exotropia symptoms, helping train eyes to focus on one single point and can be conducted anywhere around the home or in a variety of other places. Ideally, patients should participate in this eye exercise for at least two weeks until seeing improvement in symptoms.
Though research on eye exercises’ efficacy for treating strabismus remains limited, they are commonly employed by ophthalmology practices to alleviate its symptoms. Before beginning any at-home treatments on your own, always consult a physician first; they can review your family medical history, evaluate eye structure and test how your eyes interact with one another to see if everything is functioning normally.
Pencil Push-Ups
Optometrists often prescribe pencil push-ups as an eye exercise for treating strabismus. The aim is to train both eyes to focus on one object at the same time in order to improve binocular vision and alleviate symptoms like eye strain; however, recent research indicates that pencil push-ups do not successfully treat convergence insufficiency.
The pencil push-up exercise involves holding a pencil at arm’s length in front of your eyes and moving it closer and closer until a double image appears in your peripheral vision. Once this occurs, move away the pencil before repeating this exercise for several minutes every day.
Researchers conducted this research study comparing a pencil push-up program with conventional office control methods, and found that while pencil push-ups improved distance control but did not significantly change symptoms. Furthermore, traditional office treatment was more successful at reducing exodeviation of eyes than either method.
This study marks yet another research endeavor which suggests pencil push-ups may not be effective treatments for strabismus. While these results do not apply universally to patients suffering from strabismus, they suggest there may be alternative solutions available for people experiencing convergence insufficiency.
If you suffer from convergence insufficiency, it’s essential that you seek treatment as soon as possible. Talk to your doctor to discuss various treatment options and whether vision therapy could be suitable.
There are various eye exercises you can perform to increase ocular coordination and focus, such as pencil push-ups, Brock string exercises, and Barrel cards. While any individual exercise may help, combining several together may prove more fruitful. It is best to consult an optometrist to find the appropriate treatment plan; by treating its root cause you could prevent headaches and other unpleasant effects associated with strabismus.
Eye Patch
Keeping an eye patch over their dominant eye may help them align more correctly, encouraging the weaker eye to align properly and improving vision. Eye exercises or vision therapy may also aid with treating this condition.
Studies have demonstrated that covering one eye can significantly enhance eye alignment. This treatment option may prove more effective than regular monitoring from specialists for children with intermittent exotropia; however, more in-depth studies must be conducted in this area for best results.
Intermittent exotropia (strabismus) is an eye misalignment that causes eyes to look in different directions at different distances, unlike constant exotropia where eyes always drift outwards. More common among young children, but can affect anyone, intermittent exotropia can have serious repercussions if left untreated.
Eye patching, corrective lenses and prism glasses as well as low dose atropine eye drops may all provide treatments for intermittent exotropia. By temporarily blurring vision in one eye with better vision while encouraging its weaker counterpart to work harder – as well as eye exercises which strengthen weaker eyes – intermittent exotropia may be managed effectively.
Focusing on a fixed point is an effective vision exercise for strabismus. You can do this using either a pencil push-up or Brock string, which consists of white string with colored wooden beads attached. Hold a pencil (or pen) directly in front of you at arm’s length and choose your focal point – whether that be its tip, eraser end or even just numbers or letters printed onto its side; keep both eyes fixed on this point and gradually bring closer towards your nose until things start getting blurry or doubled – an extremely simple yet effective eye exercise that engages both eyes while teaching them how to work together better together!
A randomized clinical trial demonstrated that covering the dominant eye with an eye patch improved convergence insufficiency and distant deviation control among children with intermittent exotropia, but its sample size and follow-up period were limited, leading to inconclusive results and more research should be conducted to ascertain if its benefits last over time.
Low Dose Atropine Eye Drops
There are various treatments for exotropia (an eye misalignment that causes blurry vision and limits depth perception), including corrective lenses, eye exercises or surgery. Exotropia may be hereditary or caused by certain health conditions; left untreated it could lead to issues including reduced vision or blindness in affected eyes.
Eye doctors may advise the use of low dose atropine eye drops to combat exotropia in children. This medication temporarily blurs vision of the dominant eye, forcing weaker eyes to work harder and potentially improving vision. An eye patch could also be worn over stronger eye to force compensation and thus potentially decrease frequency of exotropia episodes.
Intermittent exotropia is the most prevalent form of myopia, affecting up to one percent of the population. It is a type of strabismus in which eyes drift outward during times when someone is tired, daydreaming, or sick; constant exotropia affects only about two percent of individuals and may lead to blindness in one eye.
Exotropia may be hereditary; however, it can also result from insufficient function of muscles and nerves controlling eye movement, neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke or trauma; signal distortion between visual center of brain and eyes which leads to exotropia being diagnosed; etc.
Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and 11 other centers nationwide recently conducted a research study published in JAMA Ophthalmology which revealed that atropine eye drops (0.01% solution) are no more effective than placebos for slowing myopia progression or reducing axial elongation, yet optometrists still advise using this treatment to help prevent or control myopia in young children due to its convenience, ease of use, and safety.
