talk to me about exotropia pls

[BoysOnToast]

just had a letter following a routine check the HV referred us for... ds3 (2) has 'a moderate degree of exotropia' (i think thats what the letter says, i read it this morning)

anyone have any experience of this? what, if anything is the treatment? i honestly didnt think there was anything at all wrong, thought it was a bit of a waste of nhs resources tbh, but i let him go anyway, to be sure... but because i ddint think there was anything to it, and i had another doctors appointment at the same time, i let my sister take him so i didnt get to ask any questions.

obv for the appointment we've been referred for ill be there and ask!

ah - now I think you are being to technical with your thread name. I had no idea what exotropia was, so googled it then found out it was a turn or squint. Quite a few here with children with that, including my ds who is now 6 - he has a micro squint so his eyes will never be fully alligned - even though it is not obvious to anyone looking at him. He was about 3 1/2 when he went for a sight test at my opticians where he found that then the 'lazy' eye had shut down so not to confuse the brain as it was relaying 2 different images. We were referred to the hospital and then were prescribed glasses and also had to patch the good eye to get the 'lazy' eye to start working again. Now 3 years on - hopefully thats that, though we go for our next appointment on Friday. Another option if the turn is severe, which I doubt it as you haven't noticed, is to have a small op.

If you maybe start a thread about squints, you might get more replies, but at least your ds can be assessed and started on treatment which if there is a problem you have found out early enough as after the age of about 7 the eyes are harder to treat for this.

This is in my DH's family. His sister was left untreated and has been told now (she's in her 30's) that as it wasn't corrected in her childhood nothing can be done about it now.

Hope all goes ok with your referral.

oh thanks furball and dettajnr.

will think about asking about squints, FB.

dd has esotropia - ie her eye turns inward so it looks at her nose when she looks straight ahead. It was very obvious to us though so we got an eye clinic appointment via our GP to get it checked out. Exotropia is when the eye turns out I think. DD wears glasses to straighen her vision which should help correct the squint. She will also have patches on the good eye in a few months to persuade the weak eye to work harder.

Better to get it corrected now as the older they get the harder it is to reverse iirc.

thanks TF

looks like its fairly straightforward at this stage to fix. thank you for your reassurances.