Heroin-Induced Exodeviation Masking a Baseline Decompensated Esophoria

ABSTRACT

Heroin and other opiate intake have been shown to have various effects on the brain, including the documentation of a small number of cases of strabismus from intake and withdrawal. Prior reports of heroin have focused on its tendency to cause diplopia, especially esodeviation upon withdrawal. The authors describe a 25-year-old woman who developed double vision from a decompensated esophoria where heroin use induced an exodeviation that transiently improved her diplopia. Measurements after acute heroin use confirmed by urinalysis revealed an improvement in her decompensated esophoria, reducing the previously documented esodeviation by more than half.

KEYWORDS:

• Diplopia
• esotropia
• exotropia
• heroin

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This work was supported in part by an unrestricted grant to the Department of Ophthalmology by Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York, USA.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by an unrestricted grant to the Department of Ophthalmology by Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York, USA.