Duane's retraction syndrome

Duane's retraction syndrome (DRS) is a congenital abnormality of ocular motility that occurs in about 1% of strabismic patients. Three types have been described and the clinical features include incomitant horizontal strabismus, restricted motility and globe retraction. Head turn, upshoot or downshoot of the adducted eye, and bilaterality may occasionally be present. Since strabismus is invariably present in DRS, careful assessment of extraocular motility should be performed on all children with a suspected or confirmed eye turn. Early diagnosis may save practitioners and parents hours of time and financial investment with orthoptic and surgical management attempts. A case of DRS is presented.