Dr. Andrew Levada, M.D. and Dr. Tara Cronin, M.D. are The Eye Care Group’s fellowship-trained specialists in adult and pediatric strabismus. Strabismus, or “lazy eye”, is a misalignment of the eyes. Eyes may turn inwards, known as esotropia, drift outwards, known as exotropia, or turn vertically, known as hypertropia.
Our strabismus specialists are skilled in diagnosing and treating a variety of strabismus conditions, including:
- Esotropia (inward eye turn)
- Exotropia (outward eye turn)
- Hypertropia (vertical eye turn)
- Congenital Cranial Nerve Palsy
- Acquired Cranial Nerve Palsies (including trauma, stroke, tumor)
- Grave’s disease (Thyroid Eye Disease)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Duane’s Syndrome
- Brown’s Syndrome
- Nystagmus and Oculocutaneous Albinism
- Strabismus following eye surgery for other conditions
Pediatric Strabismus:
Strabismus is a common childhood condition that tends to run in families, however often no other family members have a history of an eye turn. Children with a history of prematurity, developmental delay, Down’s syndrome, hydrocephalus, or other underlying neurological conditions are more likely to have strabismus. Misaligned eyes may indicate that a child is having difficulty focusing and needs glasses, or it may be a sign that the child is not seeing well due to a structural eye abnormality, such as cataracts, optic nerve damage, or rarely an eye tumor. Other times the eyes only appear to be crossed, known as pseudostrabismus, which improves as the infant’s facial features mature. An eye turn in a child can lead to amblyopia, or decreased vision in an otherwise normal eye, because the developing brain may suppress the image from the deviated eye. Any child with suspected strabismus should have a thorough pediatric ophthalmology eye examination. Learn more about Pediatric Ophthalmology.
Adult Strabismus:
Strabismus is also seen in adults for a variety of reasons, including decompensation of a previously well-controlled childhood eye turn, trauma, stroke, tumors, Grave’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or myasthenia gravis. At The Eye Care Group, our strabismus specialists work closely with our neuro-ophthalmology and oculoplastic specialists in complex cases to provide you with the highest quality of eye care.
Strabismus Treatment:
Treatment of strabismus depends on the underlying cause. Glasses alone may correct strabismus, while others may need prisms, eye patches, eye exercises, eye muscle surgery, or Botox™. Dr. Levada was one of the first doctors in Connecticut to inject Botox™ into eye muscles to treat strabismus. On your initial visit, expect that we will perform refraction and a thorough dilated retinal examination; therefore we recommend that you plan on an appointment length of approximately 2 hours. Please plan on arriving either 15 minutes early or complete the pediatric registration form or the adult neuro-ophthalmology registration form prior to your appointment. Learn more about strabismus, strabismus procedures in which we specialize, and the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group NIH-sponsored clinical studies available at our practice for the treatment of strabismus.
