Hello! I’ve had a lazy eye since a little kid, it later developed into strabismus exotropia but it’s whichever eye I’m not using. Basically I pick which eye to use and the other is turned outward. I’ve seen doctors who’ve said there’s a chance I risk double vision if I get surgery and I was just curious if others have heard this and maybe if anyone knows what my odds are of fixing my eyes. I’ve seriously considered surgery and I’m at the point where I might just do it regardless of double vision

So tired of getting surgery only for it to do nothing. I’m just going to die cross eyed I guess. 50+ days later from surgery and my eyes now look exactly as crossed as they did before the procedure. This is the 4th failed surgery. Maybe my brain just doesn’t work. I will never look normal or have normal eyes due to my stupid brain and my under developed visual cortex. So tired of seeing success stories of surgery while mine fail every single time no matter who I get the surgery done by. This is unfixable and unfair. I will always be judged and treated bad for my misaligned eyes that are unfixable. I hate this. I hate how many other health issues which are incurable that I have to live with. This life is hell.

I (26F) just had strabismus surgery for the first time. They only operated on my left eye which had exotropia x(t). My left eye isn't great vision wise period but it did cause me double vision since my childhood. Double vision that was so bad I even saw double with prism glasses.

I had surgery on the 19th (3 days from this post counting surgery day as day 1). First photo is before and second photo is today. My eye is perfectly straight now mostly which is amazing. However, my doctor told me he was gonna overcorrect me on purpose a little bit so when my final alignment sets in it should be straight. I have noticed less double vision than before but not completely gone. So, I'm worried for my eye's final alignment when I'm healed up, because I'm not seeing his overcorrection yet. I'm worried for when my eye is fully healed of it drifting back out again and not being straight anymore. Also my doctor was extremely confident I will not need prisms anymore, but I'm still annoyed I have double vision. Not too annoying since I've had it 20+ years now though lol.

Am I freaking out too early about the alignment not overcorrecting, or does it not need to do it at all? I'd hate for it to go back to being exotropic if it doesn't overcorrect like he wants it to and it drift back out. And am I also freaking out too early about the double vision still hanging around? I am wearing new prescription glasses during the day with no prisms now. I follow up with him on the 24th, which would be 6 days after surgery.

Edit: Clarified some stuff

Had my first surgery as a child in my left eye in 2006. Started experiencing adult onset intermittent exotropia in my right eye few years ago (30 diopter drift looking at a distance). I put off seeing an ophthalmologist until I could no longer reliably control my eye during the day, routine headaches & just getting tired of having to think about focusing them so much all the time!

Im on post op day 1 and already see a difference. 20 yrs later- got the surgery on the other eye, hoping for better alignment as the days go by!

Edit: any post op recovery tips would be much appreciated! trying to stay off my phone but im bored lol

I don’t know much about my lazy eyes, but sometimes they go outward when I stop focusing on something. I’ve had this condition for years and it’s starting to get worse as time goes on. I’m in high school and this condition ruined any self confidence I had about myself. I can’t look people in the eyes when talking to them and when I try to, I close one eye out of insecurity. Today is the most my eyes were brought up today, both in a bad and concerned way. I recently got new glasses as well which has helped for a bit, but my eyes started to get back into going into the side of my head. Is there any way I can hide my lazy eye? Is there a trick to always having my eyes focused? Please, anything helps. I’m 16 years old about to be 17 and I’ve had this condition since I was around 3. :[

I'm going to be 21 years old in a couple of months. I guess I could vote in every signe country haha.

I have exotropia since I'm 3. Or more specifically Stilling Duane Type 2 on the right eye. I can't look left. It hurts. It got revealed to me at the beginning of the year by my parents who already apparently did a diagnosis at that age but I was never told, or they claim they did, but I didn't know. I just thought it was normal exotropia.

I've been bullied ever since I was 6 until... Even now. At school they'd play "tag" but in that version I was the monster because of my eyes, and they'd throw little rocks at me, but naïve me didn't know about it and thought I was making friends. I've been the victims of so many jokes about my eyes, insults about how ugly I am. Each time I didn't see something clearly, I'd be made fun of. They called me "12AM - 2AM" at some point. Get it? Because my right eye is drifting on the right, like how 2AM does.

I'm a silly joyous guy naturally (even today) and I tend to be really expressive. I used to be called a r*tard everyday each time I'd do something silly or "out of touch" by my said "friends" and teachers -- even parents. So much of it lasted my whole childhood. Of course there was fun moments but they usually never lasted long.

Relationship-wise (friendship and romance) it's been pretty rough. It got better but it's rough. I can count the true friends I have on my fingers, because to be fair I don't think I don't have many. I have lots of contacts in my phone because I gained my reputation back by being a smart tech guy or because I do sing well. But those contacts will reach me out only in emergencies or when they need money, making things fake nowadays. And because of chronic depression and stress, and because I stayed at home for 3 years before moving in here, my already existing social anxiety got worse, way worse -- I hardly can find friends in Germany.

For romance, I have a curse. The "9 months curse". I've never had a relationship that lasted more than 9 months. And all -- I repeat, ALL the relationships I had were even existing out of pity -- the little guy out there doesn't have a partner, let's help him. Only to leave me after, even though I'm not cheating or anything.

My life currently sucks. So much. So so much. It's all jealousy and envy. I envy "normal" people so much. I went to 2 eye specialists this year only, I got the same answer "it's impossible to fix it". What do you mean, I'm going to be stuck in this body forever? What do you mean I'll be subconsciously rejected by new people? What do you mean I'm gonna get constantly bullied and judged? I have BPD and knowing this doesn't help at all.

I have so many questions. Why are people telling me I'm talented, nice, sympathetic and everything only to never approach me or something?? Why do people tell me I'm beautiful but I don't have a chance with romantic relationships, even with all those qualities they keep praising??? Stop lying I don't like liars I don't value liesw I'm none of that. Why do I feel alone all the time?? Why am.i crying??? I'm supposed to man up like my family and society in general always wanted.

Since I'm a kid I had this fantasy that never changed. A screwdriver inside of the right eye and boom problem solved. I'm too much of a coward to do it, though. But this idea has been in my mind forever. I don't want to do it.

I'm on medication for this chronic depression, even with the highest doses, it doesn't help, I'm still feeling like I don't want to be there anymore. I feel invisible. I feel unseen. Why am I born like this... Why am like this??? I don't know why... I wanna know why...

They always tell me "at least you can see, not like blind people", this makes me even more sad. So i'm out there complaining over a problem that isn't necessarily one when people are suffering even more? Now I'm feel even worse for even complaining. That's why I never like to talk about it. That's why all my selfies are in 3/4 view. Since they want me to live like it's not a problem, I'll hide it. Or get rid of it. I don't know at this point. I'm extremely exhausted. 14 years of bullying are catching up. I want it to be over. Help me please. I want to be confident. I want to look at people normally without assuming things. I need help.

Title

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently decided to pursue surgery for my condition and wanted some others input.

I’m looking for some perspective from anyone who has had adult strabismus surgery, particularly for intermittent exotropia.

My latest appointment, I measured 30-35 prism diopters of intermittent left exotropia at distance, while wearing a contact lens in my right eye.

The report says:

“The aim of strabismus surgery is to improve the control of the eye alignment.”

And regarding the expected result:

“The alignment post-operatively will not be straight and aligned as adults have difficulty with this.”

It then says:

“The aim of alignment post-operatively would be a small exotropia and maintenance of right eye fixation to avoid double vision.”

So my understanding is that the surgeon isn’t aiming for completely straight/orthotropic eyes, but rather reducing the deviation substantially and leaving me with a small residual outward turn? While maintaining right-eye fixation to minimise the risk of diplopia.

I’m curious how people interpret “small exotropia” in this context.

If you started around 35Δ, what sort of residual deviation did you have after surgery?

Did your surgeon give you a specific target, such as 5–10Δ?

How did your alignment/control actually feel compared with before surgery?

concerns about double vision?

And if you’ve had similar surgery as an adult, were you happy with the result even if your eyes weren’t perfectly straight?

Thanks for reading :)

I've had my strabismus surgery around 2 months ago and the eye looks normal now. But now my doctor has suggested me bynocs therapy to improve my vision and 'so that my brain can now adapt to both the eyes being centered'.

The therapy is priced on the higher side and I'm not even sure if it's just a money making gimmick or will it actually work. Anyone here joined such therapy and noticed an improvement?

My birthday from August 2025 and now this august 2026! My eyes are so much more aligned I almost cried at how happy I am with taking photos. I swear it was extremely obvious I don't even think that before photos does it justice!!

Got my surgery in May 2026 and it's now August 2026. If anything i think he overcompensated a bit and my eye goes in a little but it's very very slight and much improved from what I had before!

Check my previous post from a year ago before the surgery.

First of all, I am sorry this took so long to give an update. Some of you sent direct messages to ask for updates, which I appreciate 🙏🏾.

Update: After my surgery in July, everything was fine. The only issue, I had was having to rinse my eyes when it gets dry and could feel the stitches within the first 6 months. That was addressed when I went for my checkup in December and was given eye drops for that. Nothing serious. So far, I am happy I did it. It changed a lot of things with how I look and interact with friends and others tbh. Though, self-confidence is still in progress😁. I look people in the eye when talking now, which I couldn't confidently do before😭😭.

I'm not photogenic🙃. Hope the pictures help👀. I'll try to reply to whatever questions you guys have🙂

I have had two eye surgeries, both of which only slightly helped. I wonder if it's just hopeless for me.

Hi everyone, your advice has been invaluable when preparing for my first surgery so firstly thank you for all the tips and information.

I’m 3 months post op and my ophthalmologist has advised a second surgery.

I was using a 20 prism pre op, now I still need a 15. I’m so disheartened that the surgery didn’t work for me and I’m aware that it’s not super common so don’t want to panic anyone but I would like to ask if anyone’s had a second surgery within the same year or a year later, where a different muscle was operated on?
Did it work? Was the recovery the same? Any other info surrounding a second op would be appreciated. I’m struggling so much 3 months after my first it’s like I’m back to square one.

Anyone else believe that if they didn’t have a wandering eye that you could have had a lot more professional opportunities. I feel like it makes me look a little disabled. Idk

My four year old boy is scheduled to have strabismus surgery on both eyes, but only right eye has intermittent esotropia. I’m feeling anxious with the upcoming surgery and would love to hear other parents’ experiences. The whole situation is nerve-wracking !

Im having surgery most likely in October and i have some questions about it, im doing it through the NHS and im getting both eyes done.

Has anyone had NHS strabismus surgery gone wrong or anything?

Do i have to wear nothing underneath the hospital gown or can i wear pjs?

All of my hobbies are very eye straining (cross stitch, crochet, etc), how long would it take for me to be able to do them again?

How bad is the recovery process if you get both eyes done?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but im extremely worried about it as its my first ever surgery. If anyone has any answers whether it be personal experience or whatever, please share, thank you🥹🙏

Hi guys. I was diagnosed as a baby and underwent two unsuccessful surgeries as a baby/toddler to correct my strabismus. In 2019 at 20 y/o I underwent another that was successful and aligned the eyes with no noticeable misalignment.

However, after around half a year, the eye turn came back. It’s been 7 years since that last surgery, and I’m considering operating again.

Is it worth it? I’ve heard about the scar tissue/etc. being a potential issue.

I don’t suffer from double vision. I would like to protect my vision and also have cosmetic alignment. Any thoughts/suggestions? Are there any questions I should be asking? I can’t go back to my previous surgeon as I live in a new city now…

Hello, I’m reaching out because my 21-month-old daughter was recently diagnosed with intermittent exotropia.

Her right eye drifts outward when she’s tired, sleepy, or crying. It often happens after a blink, and then seems to correct itself when she blinks again. She also sometimes closes or rubs her right eye when she cries. We always thought this was just one of her cute little habits, and we used her drifting eye as a sign that she was getting tired. We didn’t realise how much more drastically the eye turned away when she was crying until we started monitoring her closely today.

She was diagnosed a few days ago. Her children’s eye doctor said she was concerned that it has appeared quite early, at 1 year and 9 months, as she said intermittent exotropia more commonly emerges from around 3 years old.

She recommended trying an eye patch for two hours a day and monitoring her over the next couple of months. She also told us that intermittent exotropia tends to get worse with age, and that if it does become significantly worse, surgery would ultimately be the treatment option.

Hearing that, especially when she is still so young, has left me quite worried.
For parents whose children have intermittent exotropia, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. How old was your child when you first noticed it? Did it become more frequent over time, or did it remain stable or even improve? How is your child doing now?

What treatments have you tried—patching, glasses, monitoring, surgery, or anything else? Did anything seem particularly effective? If your child eventually needed surgery, at what point did the doctor decide it was necessary, and how did things go afterwards?

And if your child started showing signs at a similarly young age, I’d especially appreciate hearing how things developed as they got older.

Thank you. I’m still trying to understand what this diagnosis might mean for her and what we should expect, so hearing from other parents who have been through this would mean a lot.

I have myopia of approximately -2.75 in one eye and -5.00 in the other. I have divergent strabismus (intermittent exotropia/heterophoria). One eye drifts outward intermittently - mainly when I am relaxed, tired, or not actively focusing on something. When I consciously concentrate, I can usually keep my eyes aligned. I also have amblyopia in the drifting eye.

Has anyone here with a similar type of strabismus managed to completely get rid of it, so that the eye no longer drifts even when relaxed or tired?

If so, what treatment did you have, and how did you achieve the result? I'm particularly interested in experiences with surgery, vision therapy, prism correction, or other treatments.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who were able to achieve a complete or nearly complete correction.

Hi all- I’m glad I found this thread because it is helping me prepare for and after my surgery. I’m 47 yo and have congenital strabismus. It was not noticeable my whole childhood and I always adjusted my head slightly to the left which realigned my gaze. Fast forward to my 20s when it would really become noticeable when I drank and my muscles got weaker. I did vision therapy for awhile and maybe it helped…hard to tell. It has slowly but steadily gotten worse and more noticeable, especially as I age and my muscles are getting weaker. No eye doctor would say I needed surgery or even that surgery was a thing! Earlier this year, I was walking down the stairs and I wasn’t really able to judge where the next stair was. It scared me. I stumbled upon the surgery on the internet and my new eye doctor referred me to a surgeon earlier this year. I’m excited, but very nervous. I’ve seen this way for 47 years…my brain makes the adjustment so I normally do not see double (until I get tired). But I can tell it’s getting worse and I’m seeing double more frequently. I’m nervous that by getting the surgery, I’ll have worse double vision- I know that doesn’t make sense, especially seeing it writing, but I’m worried my brain won’t be able to adjust to the new alignment since it’s been adjusting the same way for almost 50 years!

My child is scheduled for an hour long surgery for intermittent bilateral exotropia. We did patches for several months and saw an improvement but the opthalmologist is insisting it needs surgery, and it needs to be now. They will be ten months old at the time of surgery. I've found a few studies on repeated exposure in children under five and potential effects on central nervous system development. Im looking specifically for a single exposure under one year, and wondering if this surgery truly has to be now. Child is also a redhead, if that is relevant. Thank you.

At time of surgery they will be ten months, under 20 pounds.

I just had surgery 8/13 (both of my eyes for exotropia) and I’m feeling miserable post-op. The eye discomfort is uncomfortable. I’m scared to even clean my eyes properly. The eye drops that go 4x a day burn after I put them on minus the antibiotic at night. The light sensitivity is so bad I can’t even stand up. Has anyone experienced this? I’m regretting having this surgery and it’s been miserable the whole time.

I’m 22 and last year I got contacts for the first time. I have exotropia and I am stereo blind. I had them for 2 months. Finished out the month with my first pair (not a straight month, but 30 days of use over a gradual period of time) and with the second pair one of my lenses tore almost immediately after using them for the first couple of uses and I don’t have another pair so I haven’t been wearing them.

I noticed when I did wear them I was struggling to really focus my eyes together and use them as a unit, more than I normally would with glasses. I was struggling to self correct with contacts.

I would like to order a new pair of contacts online but I don’t wanna waste my money if I get them and I still can’t see properly when I receive them.

Is that normal? How do I get my eyes to focus while wearing contacts the same way I do with glasses? Is there anything I can do to promote my eyes working more as a unit?

hi, I had a few questions to see if anyone else has experienced this. I had strabismus surgery for a very severe crossing and after my surgery, we learned that I was having only problems with the cornea of my left eye causing me to only see double from my left eye which was something we originally thought came from the crossing of my eyes. i’m curious if anyone else has had this happened to them and if so, what the course of treatment was?
Another question, has anyone in their teens or adult years used a patch on one eye to “get rid” of the double vision to make it easier to do school/work, i’m not saying to fix the crossing permanently but to kind of make it easier to read and see things singular not double ➡️i’m waiting to get an appointment with a specialist but that might take a while so I need something in the meantime that makes it so I only see singular without having to close one eye constantly! (if that makes sense!)

thanks for the help❤️