Central motor control in concomitant strabismus

Basic research in the field of oculomotor physiology has advanced rapidly during the last decade. The new knowledge has been largely incorporated into the research and the clinical practice of neurology and neuroophthalmology [14, 16], but the influence on strabismus research has been rather limited [15]. This presentation will point out the elements of basic research that are believed important for our understanding of concomitant strabismus. The description will concentrate on the role of different central motor factors, mainly brainstem mechanisms, in the genesis and development of infantile esotropia or convergent strabismus, i.e. strabismus with an early onset in life [8]. Strabismus of late onset seems less enigmatic, since it probably originates from abnormalities of the vergence system, particularly its coupling with accommodation.