GLEN CARBON – Dr. Julie Steinhauer, OD, FCOVD, owner of Vision For Life, and one of a select group of functional vision doctors in the nation, says a condition called Exotropia, where one eye or both eyes cannot focus and continually look outward, is often misdiagnosed as ADHD or a behavioral issue.
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“Exotropia is a form of strabismus which is an eye misalignment that turns either one or both of the eyes outward. It can cause difficulty with focusing at the computer and reading. Young children can become restless due to the inability to concentrate on their work. The condition is often diagnosed as a behavioral problem when it is really a convergence issue with the eyes,” said Dr. Steinhauer.
Exotropia can cause convergence insufficiency the most common type of visual-motor problems in children— with a reported 5 to 13 percent prevalence among children and adults. Steinhauer said it can occur intermittently or be constant. Symptoms can include blurred vision, double vision, headaches, eye strain, inability to focus and a feeling of motion sickness.
Exotropia can be classified into three different types. Congenital exotropia is present at birth, whereas intermittent exotropia and sensory exotropia also exist in patients and can be diagnosed at any age.
Steinhauer said a vision therapy program can help correct or reduce problems caused by exotropia and restore binocular vision (the two eyes working together). These include eye exercises, lenses, and/or other therapy activities to treat the brain and nervous system which control the eye muscles.
In her YouTube video on Exotropia, Steinhauer says treatments for exotropia include photosyntonics light therapy goggles.
“The brain can be retriggered and send new corrective ‘messages’ to the eye muscles with photosyntonics and mechanical vision treatment. This is where the brain is trained to align the use of two eyes together. We have had great success working with patients who have even the most severe of outward eye turns, even those who have been treated surgically for exotropia with limited results.”
Exotropia can be properly diagnosed with a comprehensive vision examination. Visual acuity techniques can identify the extent in which the patient’s vision is being affected including analysis of the actual severity of eye turn and how the eyes work and move together.
For additional information visit https://visionforlifeworks.com.
ABOUT DR. JULIE STEINHAUER
Dr. Steinhauer, now in her 19th year of practice, is a developmental optometrist specializing in vision related learning problems, sports vision, and rehabilitative optometry. She is board certified in vision development as a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Dr. Steinhauer is a member of the Illinois Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, Optometric Extension Program, the College of Syntonic Optometry, and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
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