• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Atlantic Medical Eye Care

3 Hospital Plaza, Suite 310
Old Bridge, NJ · 08857
732·607·0555
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Atlantic Medical Eye Care
    • Dr. Scharfman
    • Testimonials
  • Eye Conditions
    • Cataracts
    • Glaucoma
    • Macular Degeneration
    • Diabetes
    • Dry Eyes
  • Services
    • Cataract Surgery
    • Premium Lenses / IOLs
    • Glaucoma Surgery
    • Contact Lenses
    • Comprehensive Care
  • Blog
    • Latest Posts
    • Subscribe
  • Patient Portal
    • Login or Create Account
    • Patient Forms
    • COVID-19 Info
    • Free Cataract Guide
  • Contact Us
  • Directions

by  Dr. Robert Scharfman  1 Comment

Eyes Looking in Different Directions? It Could be Duane Syndrome

Duane syndrome is a congenital type of strabismus (a disorder in which the eyes don’t look in exactly the same direction at the same time).

Where most forms of strabismus leave side-to-side eye movements intact, in Duane syndrome the “wiring” of the eye muscles gets mixed, and movement of eye(s) becomes limited in certain directions.

Thus, people with Duane syndrome have difficulty rotating one or both eyes outward or inward.

Causes and Types of Duane Syndrome

Duane syndrome is caused by an abnormal development of the nerves that control the eye(s), and it impacts the fetus early in gestation.

The 3 different types of Duane syndrome

There are three types of Duane syndrome — in all three types, the opening of the eye narrows and the eyeball retracts when the eye moves inward.

Type I Duane Syndrome:

  • limited or no ability to move the eye outward (the eye widens when the person tries to move it outward)
  • little to no difficulty for the eye to move inward

Type II Duane Syndrome:

  • limited or no ability to move the eye inward
  • little to no difficulty for the eye to move outward

Type III Duane Syndrome:

  • limited or no ability to move the eye either inward or outward

Symptoms and Treatment of Duane Syndrome

Symptoms of Duane syndrome include:

  • misaligned eyes
  • abnormal head posture as people struggle to see better
  • reduced vision in the affected eye

Additionally, the affected eye may appear smaller than the other eye, and it may deviate upward or downward from time to time.

Treatment Options

Because the affected sixth cranial nerve cannot be repaired or replaced, there is no cure for Duane syndrome. However, for people whose lives are significantly disrupted by the condition, surgery can be very helpful.

The aim of surgery is to:

  • Reduce / stop the abnormal head posture many develop attempting to see better
  • Reduce the angle of strabismus (misalignment of the eyes)

Duane syndrome can be also sometimes be treated more conservatively with glasses or patching of the unaffected eye.

You might also like...

5 Eye Problems that Can Occur as You Get Older
What is Considered an Eye Emergency? 5 Serious Eye Problems
Rapid and Uncontrollable Eye Movement: Is it Nystagmus?
Medications that Can Adversely Affect Your Eyes

Filed Under: Serious Eye Problems

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Viggo Crowe says

    June 16, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    I appreciate you talking about the syndrome that would prevent people from looking outward. My spouse and I are thinking about getting our eyes checked this year. She is having some serious vision issues that need to be looked at by an optometrist.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Premium Lenses

FREE GUIDE

FREE GUIDE: 34 Questions You Must Ask Before You Have Cataract Surgery


Your email is safe

Eye Care Services

  • Cataract Surgery
  • Premium Lenses / IOLs
  • Glaucoma Surgery
  • Contact Lenses
  • Comprehensive Eye Care
Top Doctor 2019 - NJ Top Docs

From our Blog

  • Making the Most out of Your Cataract Surgery
  • What is a Corneal Ulcer? Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
  • What is a Chalazion? Mysterious Eye Condition Explained

Footer

Hours

Mon
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tue
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wed
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thu
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Fri
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location

3 Hospital Plaza, Suite 310
Old Bridge, NJ · 08857
732-607-0555

Directions »

Need Help?

Contact Us »

About  |  Eye Conditions  |  Services  |  Patient Info  |  Subscribe  |  Contact  |  Privacy | Disclaimer  |  Site Map
Copyright © 2023 Atlantic Medical Eye Care. All rights reserved.
Web design by Bri the Web Guy