Esotropia

Esotropia

  • Overview
  • Appointments
  • Symptoms
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatments
  • Locations
  • Doctors
  • Providers

    • What is esotropia?

    Esotropia describes an inward turning of the eye and is the most common type of strabismus in infants. Young children with esotropia do not use their eyes together. In most cases, special glasses, bifocals, or early surgery to align the eyes is needed to allow for binocular vision development and to prevent permanent vision loss.

    "Accommodative esotropia" is a common form of esotropia that is first seen in farsighted children, usually 1 - 4 years of age or older. When children are young, they can focus their eyes to adjust for farsightedness, a common condition in children. However, the focusing effort (accommodation) required to see clearly stimulates the eyes to converge or cross.  “Sensory esotropia” is the crossing of an eye with poor vision.

    What causes esotropia?

    Esotropia may be seen in children with very poor vision in one eye (sensory esotropia) or in association with certain genetic disorders that affect the eyes. It may also occur in association with a 6th cranial nerve palsy or previous eye muscle surgery for strabismus. But, most often, crossed eyes in childhood are either caused by idiopathic infantile esotropia (33 percent), with onset early within the first 6 - 8 months of life or accommodative esotropia (66 percent) first noted later, between 1 - 4 years of age, in association with increased levels of far-sightedness or hyperopia. 

    What are the risk factors for esotropia?

    Risk factors of esotropia include:

    • Positive family history of strabismus (misaligned eyes), amblyopia, childhood cataract, or glaucoma
    • Some genetic disorders that affect the eyes
    • Pediatric cataracts or glaucoma
    • But most often there are no known risk factors in children with esotropia

    Appointment Information

    To schedule an appointment or for any questions, please call 734-764-7558.

    What are the symptoms of esotropia?

    Symptoms of esotropia include: 

    • Decreased vision
    • Decreased depth perception
    • Crossing or inward deviation of the eyes, often intermittently at first.

    The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that your child has esotropia. However, if you observe one or more of these symptoms, contact your child's ophthalmologist for a complete exam.

    How is esotropia diagnosed?

    • Visual acuity measurement in each eye and both eyes together (age appropriate)
    • Cycloplegic refraction (with dilating eye drops)
    • External or slit lamp exam
    • Fundus (retina) examination
    • Complete eye exam (age appropriate)

    How is esotropia treated?

    In accommodative esotropia, glasses reduce the focusing effort and convergence of the eyes and can straighten the eyes. Sometimes the addition of bifocals to the glasses is necessary for close work. Eye drops, ointment, or special lenses with prisms added can also be used to straighten the eyes. Eye drops called miotics (phopholine Iodide) or special lenses called prisms can also be used to straighten the eyes in some children depending on the cause and the size of the deviation.

    Locations
    • Ophthalmology Clinic | Brighton Center for Specialty Care 7500 Challis Rd
      Entrance 1, Level 2
      Brighton, MI 48116-9416       Get Directions
    • Ophthalmology Clinic | Canton Health Center 1051 N Canton Center Rd
      Canton, MI 48187-5097       Get Directions
    • Ophthalmology Clinic | Northville Health Center 39901 Traditions Dr
      Floor 2
      Northville, MI 48168-9493       Get Directions
    • Ophthalmology Clinic | River Place Office Building 1974 N Huron River Dr
      River Place Offices
      Ypsilanti, MI 48197-1654       Get Directions
    • Pediatric Ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus Clinic | Kellogg Eye Center 1000 Wall St
      Floor 1
      Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1912       Get Directions
    • Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic | Trinity Health Oakland Hospital Medical Office Building
      44555 Woodward Avenue, Suite 405
      Pontiac, MI 48341       Get Directions

    Doctors

     Search for a U-M Health doctor

    Steven M Archer, MD

    Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Monte Del Monte, MD

    Monte Anthony Del Monte, MD

    Professor Emeritus

    Ophthalmology

    Christopher Gappy, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Michigan Photo

    Adam Brent Jacobson, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Otana Agape Jakpor, MD

    Otana Agape Jakpor, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Dolly Padovani-Claudio, MD, PhD

    Dolly Ann Padovani Claudio, MD

    Clinical Instructor

    Ophthalmology

    Lev Prasov, MD

    Lev Prasov, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Breanna Marie Tracey, MD

    Breanna Marie Tracey, MD

    Clinical Instructor

    Ophthalmology

    Grace Meng Wang, MD

    Grace Meng Wang, MD, PhD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

    Marguerite Cullen Weinert, MD

    Marguerite Cullen Weinert, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology

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    Providers

     Search for a U-M Health provider     Courtney Amanda Dewey, OD

    Courtney Amanda Dewey, OD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Optometry

    Carlton J Foster, OD

    Carlton J Foster, OD

    Clinical Instructor

    Optometry

    Jacqueline Nguyen, OD

    Jacqueline Dinh Hoan My Nguyen, OD

    Clinical Assistant Professor

    Optometry

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