Definition:
Hypotropia is a condition misalignment of eyes characterized by having the visual axis lower than the fellow fixating eye. A similar but opposite condition is called hypertrophy.
Treatment:
Hypotropia can be treated with the following procedures: through corrective glasses, patching, prism therapy, surgical correction or botox injection.
Surgical correction is the most ideal treatment of hypotropia. Surgery has the ability to bring binocularity, correct the cosmetic defect and manage diplopia. However, surgical correction should only be used after thorough examination of a physician.
Causes:
Hypertropia results from an imbalance in the extraocular muscle functions of the eye. The condition can either be congenital or acquired. Cases of congenital hypotropia is caused by abnormal eye muscle structure which include muscle atrophy/hypertrophy or, in rare cases, incorrect placement or absence of the muscles.
Other causes of hypotropia include inferior oblique overaction, superior oblique overaction, Duane's Retraction Syndrome, Brown's Syndrome, fibrosis of rectus muscle in Graves Disease, double elevator palsy and surgical trauma.
When it occurs in middle age, hypertropia maybe caused by compression of the trochlear nerve and mass effect from a growth. This condition requires immediate brain imaging through MRI. Hypertropia in middle age may also be a result of infraction of blood vessels supplying nerves.
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