We all know what an important role eyes play in our lives but many people are unaware whether they could be suffering from some forms of Phorias and Tropias. While Tropias are not that prevalent, Phorias occur in some form in almost 70% of the population and they don’t even have an inkling about it.
Phorias and Tropias are both conditions that affect eye alignment. While Phorias often don’t cause noticeable symptoms unless they are constant or large enough to be visible, Trophy is always present and visible. It is necessary to note that both problems can co-exist in the same person.
Phoria and Tropia can both cause several vision problems that can lead to social and emotional difficulties. However, early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions can help solve vision issues and improve a person’s self-esteem and quality of life.
Below, Vision Concern provides everything you need to know about Phorias and Tropias so you know more about these issues and how to diagnose and treat them.
Now that you’ve understood the terms Phorias and Tropias a little better, let’s dive into details of what these eye conditions are and how they impact a person’s vision and life.
Phoria is an eye condition where the eyes do not align properly as they should. But, the problem here is that it is always not that obvious. We have talked about how Lazy Eye has an eye-misaligned all the time, phoria is not visible and only gets seen in certain situations.
For instance, if one eye is covered, the other eye may fall asleep because it can not work together with the covered eye. This example has shown that phoria is normally kept in check by the brain and eye muscles working together.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it only becomes visible when the eyes are tired or under stress after which symptoms like eye strain, headaches, or blurred or doubled vision start showing up.
Unlike Phoria, a Tropia is a constant misalignment of the eyes where they don’t point in the same direction. Doctors also call this condition strabismus or crossed eyes. That means that one eye is turned inward, outward, upward, or downward, even when both eyes are open. Since this condition involves a constant misalignment of the eyes, it is more noticeable.
The misalignment is mostly constant but it can also be intermittent in some cases. This condition can affect either one or both eyes. Unfortunately, due to its noticeability, the person suffering from it has a hard time mingling and socializing with other people. That ultimately attacks their self-confidence and overall performance at work or study.
There is no single cause to why phoria and tropia happen. There is a combination of factors rather than a single cause. Understanding the causes can help in prevention and better treatment. Here, we have mentioned the main causes of these issues:
Just like many other eye conditions, phorias and tropias can pass from generation to family member. It’s development has a lot to do with the genetic predisposition.
In some cases, the muscles controlling the eye can go out of balance. While one set of muscles may be stronger, the other set can be weaker. That, then causes the eyes to drift, creating space for phorias and tropias.
Certain neurological conditions like diabetes and multiple sclerosis can affect the nerves controlling eye muscles. That ultimately leads to phoria. If a person has certain eye conditions like cataracts or refractive errors, they also contribute to eye misalignment.
If you’re someone who is spending extensive time on screen, reading, or doing any sort of activity that causes strain to the eyes, that can most certainly exacerbate phoria.
A person having a deep head injury or trauma in the eye area is likely to develop phoria or tropia.
Phoria and tropia may develop as a part of some children’s visual system’s growth and development.
Some factors like genetics are out of our control but you can reduce the risk of severity of phoria by taking care of your eyes and managing screen time. We suggest maintaining a regular eye checkup and effectively managing these factors.
As mentioned above, phoria remains typically unnoticed before symptoms appear while tropia is visible all along. Here are some symptoms of both these vision issues:
Probably the first sign of phoria is feeling discomfort or fatigue in the eyes after being exposed to reading, writing, or excessive screen time.
After certain visual tasks, a person starts having frequent, unexplained headaches.
A person suffering from phoria might have a temporary loss of clear vision which can come and go.
Phoria may force an individual to see two images of a single object, mainly during intense focus.
It becomes challenging to maintain a clear vision when shifting focus between distances.
A test where covering one eye for a short period causes it to move to realign when uncovered, shows latent misalignment.
The most obvious sign is where one eye seems to turn inward, outward, upward, or downward.
People who have tropia may squint their eyes to get a better vision.
This may be an attempt of the tropic person to align the eyes and improve focus.
Just like phoria, in tropia also a person’s brain receives two different images from each eye.
Because triopia causes so many issues in the vision, a person may put extra effort into seeing correctly. The constant effort to focus can lead to eye tiredness and headaches.
Triobia can also affect a person’s activities like driving, reading, sports, and other daily activities.
Whether it is phoria or tropia, it is necessary to note these symptoms can be directly linked to other vision issues. For that reason, a full-fledged eye examination by a professional eye expert or ophthalmologist is necessary for diagnosis and proper treatment.
The first step to diagnosing any of these issues is to have your doctor measure the alignment of your eyes. While conducting a cover test portion of an eye examination, the ophthalmologist will alternatively cover and uncover your eyes while you look at an object. Upon being uncovered, if your eye moves, you are suffering from phoria.
Everybody has a normal phoric resting state. In the case of some individuals, they tend for their eyes to misalign but they can normally keep them straight. But, when they are stressed or tired, their eyes may not be able to stay aligned and then appear cross-eyed which we know as tropia. That happens when the eye muscles are working hard to keep them in place.
Treating phoria and tropia requires a personalized approach as the condition can vary from person to person. The doctor provides treatment hoping to alleviate symptoms and improve vision. These are the most common treatment methods for both issues:
For many individuals, corrective glasses or lenses can work for the misalignment. They help in reducing symptoms of eye strain and headaches. All you have to do is find the right doctor who will help you with this crucial process.
There are so many eye exercises that will help strengthen eye muscles and improve alignment and coordination. Oftentimes, doctors recommend this for mild to moderate cases.
Prism lenses are special lenses that bend light to reduce double vision and improve your eye’s alignment. They are incorporated into glasses and can be highly effective.
In many cases, when the phoria or triopia is severe, surgical intervention becomes the only way to correct muscle imbalance. This mostly takes place when other treatments turn out to be ineffective.
You can make small changes in your lifestyle like reducing screen time, taking frequent breaks from visual tasks, and using good lighting to reduce the chances of phoria and triopia.
Just remember that phoria can be managed effectively but these activities do not cure the issue if you already have it.
Some injections of Botox can weaken certain eye muscles which helps to correct misalignment.
Yes, a phoria can potentially turn into tropia. Phoria is a condition that most of the time does not show symptoms until serious. But when certain conditions like fatigue, stress, or illness take place, the human brain may not be able to compensate for the deviation. It then manifests into tropia.
A phoria has a chance of turning into tropia when it is larger or if the person has trouble maintaining binocular vision. It is, however, important to note that not all phorias will lead to tropias. Many people spend their entire life with phoria without experiencing any significant problems.
But, if symptoms like eye strain, headaches, or vision issues are persistent, you need to see a doctor. Early diagnosis and treatment of phoria can help prevent them from turning into tropias.
Here are the main differences between phoria and tropia:
| Feature | Phoria | Tropia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Latent deviation of the eyes, and brain compensates in most cases | Manifest deviation of the eyes, always visible |
| Visibility | Invisible unless binocular vision is irritated | Always visible |
| Severity | Normally less severe | Severe, can cause some grave visual issues |
| Treatment | Vision therapy and prism glasses are the best | Vision therapy and glasses might work. If not, surgery is needed. |
| Example | The eye tends to drift inward | One or both eyes turn inward |
Phoria and Tropia are eye conditions that can affect a person’s vision and quality of life. Early detection and proper treatment are very essential to prevent long-term vision issues. If you or your loved ones are experiencing eye misalignments like double vision, eye strain, or focus difficulty, it is time you get an appointment with an eye care professional for a proper eye exam.
Timely diagnosis can provide treatment that will manage these issues and give you a clear vision. In case of any doubts, feel free to contact our experts here at Vision Concern who will help you solve these issues.
Ans: Phoria is not that serious unless it is severe enough to cause other symptoms like constant headaches, vision, and focus issues. If left untreated with such severe symptoms, it may worsen over time and create risks for the other eye as well.
Ans: Tropia is far more serious than phoria. If ignored and left untreated, tropia can cause lazy eye which can ultimately result in binocular depth perception and permanent vision loss.
Yes, we provide emergency eye care for conditions like eye injuries, sudden vision loss, and infections. If you experience any urgent eye problems, please contact us immediately, and our team will assist you in getting the care you need.
Signs to watch for include blurry vision, floaters, sudden loss of vision, eye pain, redness, or sensitivity to light. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to schedule an eye exam at Vision Concern Eye Clinic as soon as possible for early diagnosis and treatment.
If you’re experiencing blurred vision, headaches, or eye strain, it may be a sign that you need glasses or contact lenses. Our eye exams will help determine whether you need corrective lenses. We’ll also discuss your options based on your lifestyle and preferences, including glasses, contacts, or even refractive surgery like LASIK.
