Improving Control of Intermittent Exotropia

Purpose

To determine whether use of dichoptic movies for 8 weeks may be helpful in improving control alignment in children with intermittent exotropia (IXT), thus allowing IXT to be managed non-surgically

Condition

  • Intermittent Exotropia

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 4 Years and 10 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Diagnosis of IXT or XT at Distance & IXT or XP at near (Basic or Pseudo Divergence Excess subtype of IXT) - No surgery planned for 6 months

Exclusion Criteria

  • Prior eye muscle surgery - Prior binocular treatment or vision therapy - Amblyopia - Neurological conditions, seizure disorders, vestibular abnormalities, or frequent headache - Other eye conditions (refractive error OK)

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Group 1: Dichoptic Videos
dichoptic videos streamed at home 1 hour per day, 5 days per week
  • Other: dichoptic videos
    custom designed dichoptic videos
Sham Comparator
Group 2: Standard Videos
standard videos streamed at home 1 hour per day, 5 days per week
  • Other: standard videos
    standard videos

Recruiting Locations

Retina Foundation of the Southwest
Dallas, Texas 75231
Contact:
Pediatric Laboratory
2143633911

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Retina Foundation of the Southwest

Study Contact

Eileen Birch, PhD
2143633911
ebirch@retinafoundation.org

Detailed Description

Intermittent exotropia (IXT) is the most common form of strabismus, characterized by an outward deviation of the eyes that is primarily manifest during distance fixation and can intermittently be controlled by fusional mechanisms. Less than 30% of children have good long-term outcomes following treatment for spontaneously manifest IXT with current non-surgical treatments (prism therapy, over-minus lenses, or vision therapy). The limited efficacy of current non-surgical treatments for IXT is thought to arise from underlying sensory deficits, particularly interocular suppression, which compromises binocular function. This underscores the need for sensory-directed interventions aimed at reducing suppression and thereby enhancing the potential for stable binocular outcomes. In this study, children will be randomized to watch engaging videos streamed at home that are either dichoptic or standard (control) format. The aim is to determine whether the dichoptic format will decrease suppression and improve control of eye alignment . In previous research, use of dichoptic games and movies by children with amblyopia has shown to reduce suppression.