The purpose of this paper is to determine the value of overcorrecting minus
lenses in treating children with intermittent
exotropia. The aim with this
therapy is to secure an increase in the quality of fusion and to induce a quantitative decrease in the angle of
strabismus. Thirty-five children were treated with 2.00 to 4.00 diopters of overcorrecting minus
lenses for a median of 18 months duration. Of these, 46% had an improved quality of fusion during
therapy; 26% had an improved quality of fusion and also had a quantitative decrease in their angle of deviation; and 28% had an inadequate improvement in their quality of fusion and decrease in the angle of their deviation with this
therapy. Two children went from intermittent
exotropia to
esotropia while wearing their minus
lenses--both had high accommodative-convergence/accommodation ratios (11.5 delta/1D and 10.7 delta/1D). Seventy percent of good responders who were followed for at least 1 year after discontinuing the
therapy maintained a qualitative or quantitative improvement in their intermittent
exotropia.