If the strabismus has been present since early childhood, the symptoms are usually minimal. If it develops later, the most common symptom is double vision. In this form of strabismus, called Exotropia, the eye turns outward. When your eyes are not aligned prop erly, each eye sees a different image. Infants and children can learn to suppress or ignore the image from one eye in order to avoid seeing a double image.
Adults are unable to suppress one of the images, and therefore have double vision.
This can be relieved by closing one eye, wearing a patch or aligning the eyes. There is a common misconception that strabismus in adults is difficult or impossible to treat. Glasses with prisms are most useful for correcting small deviations. The images are realigned by prisms to compensate for the misalignment of the eyes, and the double vision may be relieved. The most common treatment for strabismus at any age is surgery on the eye muscles.