Esotropia (from
Greek eso meaning "inward" and
trope meaning "a turning"), is a form of
strabismus, or "squint," in which one or both
eyes turns inward. The condition can be constantly present, or occur intermittently, and can give the affected individual a "cross-eyed" appearance. Esotropia is sometimes erroneously called “lazy eye,” which describes the condition of
amblyopia—a reduction in vision of one or both eyes that is not the result of any pathology of the eye and cannot be resolved by the use of corrective lenses. Amblyopia can, however, arise as a result of esotropia occurring in childhood: In order to relieve symptoms of
diplopia or double vision, the child's brain will ignore or “suppress” the image from the esotropic eye, which when allowed to continue untreated will lead to the development of amblyopia. Treatment options for esotropia include glasses to correct
refractive errors (see accommodative esotropia below), the use of
prisms and/or orthoptic exercises and/or
eye muscle surgery.