clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The clinical features of a VI nerve palsy include:
- total paralysis of lateral rectus muscle preventing the eye from abducting beyond the midline
- esotropia, due to the unopposed action of medial rectus - characteristically, greater at distance than at near, and greater to one side
- diplopia if binocular single vision had been developed - images are horizontal and parallel to each other
- head may be turned laterally towards the side of the paralysed muscle in order to neutralise diplopia