Archive for strabismus
Tracking the elusive genes that cause strabismus
Strabismus is a common condition in which the eyes do not align properly, turning inward, outward, upward or downward. Two to four percent of children have some form of it. Some cases can be treated with glasses or eye patching; other cases require eye muscle surgery. But the treatments don’t address the root causes of strabismus, which ... Read More
Building a better botox
Aside from reducing wrinkles, botulinum toxins — a.k.a. botox — have a variety of uses in medicine: to treat muscle overactivity in overactive bladder, to correct misalignment of the eyes in strabismus, for a movement disorder called cervical dystonia that causes neck spasms, and more. Two botulinum toxins, types A and B, are FDA-approved and ... Read More
Alzheimer’s drugs for “lazy eye”?
When my parents told me I should walk around with my right eye patched like a pirate—on regular days, not just Halloween—I wondered if they were joking. They weren’t: those really were the doctor’s orders. As a child, I had amblyopia, or “lazy eye”: my left eye had much poorer vision than my right eye. The ... Read More