Eyeguy:
i had my last surgery when I was seven, if I remember correctly. I had previously had surgery to correct an inward-turning eye.
During my last visit to an ophthalmologist I tried using a fresnel (flat) prism on one lens of an old pair of glasses. The prism emulated what I would see if my eye were straightened. I went outside with a rubber ball and tried to walk around, throw the ball up in the air and catch it, and so on. The experience was confusing because the double vision was worse and I couldn't ignore it.
Though some have reported having their double vision disappear after corrective surgery, in one message board I recall reading that one person reported getting *triple* vision after surgery. This may sound like a joke, and doctors may say it's silly. If I close one eye I sometimes get the sense that I still have double vision in the single open eye. This has to do both with my brain's manner of compensating and with my expectations, i'm sure. Unfortunately this is a difficult point to argue because experience with strabismus differs from person to person, and those who don't have strabismus probably have a difficult time understanding what it's like to have it. Now that digital imaging tools are cheap and easy to come by i've considered creating a sort of slide show to illustrate what the world looks like to me.
Regarding my eyesight and visual acuity: my eye may have turned out more over the years, but i'm not certain. (warning! Advice from a non-doctor to follow!) I heard from one eye doctor that exercises performed daily over a period of six weeks or more could help reduce the angle of deviation. Consult at least one ophthamologist with expertise in strabismus before trying any exercises.
Over the past four years my prescription has hardly changed except for a slight (0.25 diopter) change in astigmatism in one eye. When I was younger I recall sneaking a peak at the doctor's report and reading that I had "progressive myopia". Well, my near-sightedness isn't all that bad, and it's hardly changed in 20 years.
My current prescription is -2.75 in the right eye (strong correction) and -0.50 in the left eye (weak correction). In 1987 my prescription was -2.50 and (?) 0.25.
For grins I reviewed my medical records. Here's some history of my condition and treatments:
1976 - 1977: surgery for bilateral inferior oblique recession; surgery for right medial & right lateral rectus recession
1992: visit to children's hospital of chicago, ophthalmology division
"correction might have been possible 20 years ago"
"left eye is gradually deviating further out"
"unless for cosmetic reasons, surgery not recommended"
(though I wasn't a child by any stretch of the imagination in 1972, the children's hospital facility was recommended.)
i haven't found the most recent measurement of the deviation, which is mostly horizontal (30 degrees?) and slightly vertical (~ 5 degrees). It's more pronounced than what you see in the image here:
http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/strabismus
re: "no depth perception." you must have *some* depth perception, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get around except by touch. Granted, your depth perception and mine is poor, but by unconsciously relying on visual cues such as size, shading, and apparent speed we can determine whether most objects are near, far, or at a middle distance. This, in any meaningful sense of the phrase, is perception of depth.
I heard the phrase "no depth perception" over and over again myself while I was growing up, but later a psychology professor pointed out that I must have some ability to perceive depth. In fact, I don't think the difference between normal depth perception and our depth perception is as great as some people assume. This isn't quite flatworld vs. Sphereworld. But hey, I only know what I see. Your results may vary.
Regarding ball sports: if I happen to jump a cue ball off the table when i'm playing pool and if someone else picks it up, I make a point of telling the person right away not to throw it. Otherwise I have to do a little bob-and-weave with my head to figure out where the ball is in the air, and about half the time I don't catch it anyway. As far as pop flies in baseball go, well . . . That's a problem. I've wanted to have people tell me "run forward!" or "run backward!" when i'm playing outfield, but this isn't too convenient. By sticking with aiming sports (pool/snooker/billiards, target shooting with gun & bow) I do well because i'm not trying to catch the same thing i'm shooting. Thankfully.
According to a few sources i've read, including
http://www.Strabismus.Org/, strabismus affects as many as 5 percent of children. Even if the number is only 1 percent that's a lot of people. So you're definitely not alone! And it's certainly my pleasure to provide what advice I can. Though i'm no expert in this field, i'm an engineer by trade in a field know as "machine vision" (see
http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/machine_visio
n, an article I wrote), which means I think about visual perception on a regular basis.
In a previous post I mentioned a doctor who made a big splash in this field. It was Dr. Park, I believe. This could explain why there is an eye center named the "park" center:
http://www.Visionhelp.Com/clinics/moskow.H
tm. I saw two or three of his first generation of students.
If you'd care to send me a private message please feel free to do so (by clicking "private message," I guess), but I think this discussion may be useful to others as well.
- gary