Sensory adaptations in Duane's retraction syndrome

Knowledge of the sensory status of patients with Duane's retraction syndrome is limited. Fourteen patients with type A Duane's retraction syndrome, aged 6 to 22 years, were assessed prospectively and their sensory findings and the nature of their sensory symptoms detailed. All 14 patients had corrected monocular Snellen acuities of 6/9 or better. Six patients were asymptomatic and 5 of these had dense suppression on lateral versions, were free of diplopia and had variable stereopsis. The 5 bilateral cases were among the asymptomatic group. The remaining 8 patients had weak or absent suppression on lateral versions, variable horizontal diplopia and relatively normal stereopsis. Six were aware of diplopia but were never bothered by it and two spontaneously complained of symptoms related to abnormal binocularity (diplopia in one and asthenopia at near in both). It was not [corrected] possible to differentiate the 2 symptomatic cases from the former 6 on the basis of their sensory findings. Patients with type A Duane's retraction syndrome spontaneously complained of symptoms related to abnormal binocularity. The patients least likely to suffer sensory symptoms were bilateral cases or patients with dense suppression on lateral versions, irrespective of their stereoacuity levels.