When Ava was born, we noticed that both of her eyes didn't move the same but knew that newborn eyes rarely ever do so I put it in the back of my mind & didn't worry. As time went on, the normal newborn eye issues wore off but Ava's left eye still didn't work right. It wouldn't turn all the way to the left when she looked left. Still unconcerned, I happened to mention it to our pediatrician & she said to give it until 6 months. Fast forward to the 6 month check-up & it was STILL noticeable, so she referred us to a pediatric opthamologist, which I took her to yesterday.
Right away this doctor diagnosed Ava with Duane's Syndrome. Basically, from what I've read on the internet & in my limited understanding, it's a rare congenital (present at birth) condition that affects the way the brain communicates with the nerves that control the eye muscles. Unlike a lazy eye that means a weak muscle, this is a "communication" problem that can't be fixed. Ava compensates for this by turning her head when she needs to see to her left, & right now she can look straight ahead with no problems. Interestingly, this condition affects more girls than boys & is almost always the left eye. I have to take her back in 2 weeks to have her eyes dilated for further testing & hope to get more answers then.
This website has some pretty basic information & pictures to give you an idea of what we see with Ava, though her's is worse (I think) than Ava's.
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