Medical And Routine Exams
Pediatric Ophthalmic Surgery
Adult Strabismus
Contact Lenses
Orthoptics
Although thought of as a pediatric disorder, misalignment of the eyes (strabismus) in adults is quite common. Numerous factors can cause misalignment of the eyes in adults. In many cases there has been pre-existing strabismus which was never corrected as a child. In other cases, strabismus was corrected surgically as a child but the alignment was never fully satisfactory or the eyes have again drifted out of alignment.Other causes which can lead to misalignment of the eyes frequently seen by Dr. Engel, Dr. Rousta and Dr. Han are previous ocular surgery such as retinal detachment surgery or cataract surgery, brain injury from trauma or other causes, and systemic diseases such as thyroid disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis.
In cases of small misalignments causing double vision, prisms are frequently used to help alleviate the double vision. In adults with large misalignments or with persistent double vision, surgery is able to align the eyes. Our ophthalmologists are all highly skilled in the use of adjustable sutures, which allows for the best chance of an exact alignment of the eyes and the avoidance of needing more than one operation.
Many adults tell us that they have been very self-conscious about the strabismus, but that they had not sought correction of the strabismus because they felt it was a "cosmetic" procedure or that their condition could have been corrected only during childhood. Strabismus is never a "cosmetic" problem, but rather a functional problem in which the eye muscles are not aligned where they should be naturally. In most cases this problem can be fully corrected as an adult. Some of our most rewarding cases are adults who have gained increased self-esteem and an improved self-image after correction for prominent misalignment of the eyes.