ROLE OF HEREDITY IN ETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF STRABISMUS

ALTHOUGH it may seem a far-fetched endeavor to use the ponderous tool of genetics in the interpretation of everyday problems in strabismus, the hereditary approach, nevertheless, yields many clues in the etiology and management of strabismus. The aim of the present study was to analyze the multiple factors in the pathogenesis and etiology of strabismus and their transmissions. Genetics was used only as a tool for this purpose. Special attention was devoted to similar types of squint in the same family, with the hope that they may show similar patterns of response to surgical and orthoptic treatment. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Although it has been observed since the time of Hippocrates that, among other physiognomic traits, strabismus may be transmitted from parent to offspring, there have been relatively few studies analyzing the hereditary factors. Hippocrates1stated: "If then children with bald heads are born to parents with bald heads; and