Eye Muscle Problems in Children and Adults: A Guide to Understanding

Eye Muscle Problems in Children and Adults: A Guide to Understanding

By Burton J. Kushner, MD The John W. and Helen Doolittle Professor of Ophthalmology University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Madison

Supported by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Incorporated, New York, NY

Kushner Eye Muscle Problems/Acknowledgements/page-2

Dedication The gods split these creatures into two parts, creating male and female humans. The belief is that each one of us, on a deeply subconscious level, knows that something is missing within ourselves, and we seek wholeness.

-- Rephrased from Plato, The Symposium

For Dale My missing half

Kushner Eye Muscle Problems/Acknowledgements/page-3

Acknowledgements

This book represents a substantial revision of the excellent monograph written in 1974 by Charles Windsor, M.D. and Jane Hurtt, R.N., A.A., Eye Muscle Problems in Childhood: a Manual for Parents -- second edition. Although their booklet is now about 40 years old, it has remained the best guide available for informing parents, patients and primary care physicians about the complex subject of eye muscle problems. Both authors have generously given me permission to update and modify their publication.

I would also like to thank the tens of thousands of patients who have entrusted me with their care over the past 40 years. Their questions inspired this book. There are no "dumb questions" when it comes to medical matters. If a question exists in a patient's mind, it should be addressed. If that question remains unasked or unanswered, or if the answer is not understood, not only the doctor-patient relationship may suffer, but adverse medical consequences may follow.

Kushner Eye Muscle Problems/page -4 Table of Contents

Preface

5

Chapter 1: Your First Visit to the Eye Doctor

10

Chapter 2: How Our Eyes Work

19

Chapter 3: Teamwork of the Two Eyes

32

Chapter 4: About Strabismus and Why Eyes Are Sometimes Misaligned

40

Chapter 5: Amblyopia ("Lazy Vision")

47

Chapter 6: The Treatment of Strabismus (Non-Surgical)

57

Chapter 7: Surgical Treatment of Strabismus

75

Chapter 8: Eye Muscle Problems in Adults

87

Chapter 9: Eye Exercises (Orthoptic Treatment)

90

Chapter 10: Glasses in the Management of Strabismus

91

Chapter 11: The Psychological Effects of Strabismus

95

Chapter 12: The Eye as it Relates to Reading Disabilities

97

Chapter 13: Special Forms of Strabismus

99

Chapter 14: Glossary: Some Important Terms to Understand

105

About the Author

111

Kushner Eye Muscle Problems/Chapter 1/page -5

Preface

Why Have I Written This Book?

In recent decades patients have assumed a more active role in understanding their medical conditions and in making informed decisions about their health care. I assume you are reading this book because you, your child, or someone you care about has an eye muscle disorder. Perhaps your doctor did not satisfactorily answer your questions. Possibly you had questions you did not ask. Maybe you are just seeking a better grasp of what you were told at the doctor's office in order to better evaluate the treatment options you were given. Alternatively, you are just seeking confirmation that you, or your child, are being treated properly.

The purpose of this book is to help you understand the complex subject of eye muscle disorders and to address your unasked or unanswered questions, so that you can make informed decisions regarding treatment choices. In the following pages, I will attempt to explain the perplexing and mysterious subject of the lazy eye in a patient-friendly way that can be easily understood.

If knowledge is power, one of its powers is to enable us to make wise and informed decisions that influence our future. Hopefully after reading this book you will feel more empowered to make considered choices regarding the treatment of your child, yourself, or your loved one. Let this book be an adventure of discovery about a pair of eyes, and how they should work together. Let it be an exploration that simulates a visit to the office of a caring and understanding physician who has unlimited time to answer questions and explain treatment options in a clear and understandable fashion. I wrote this book because, regrettably, not everyone is fortunate enough to be under the care of such an idealized doctor.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download