Checking Eye Alignment

   Some eye movement problems are obvious, but others are subtle and sometimes difficult to detect. The cover test is performed while the child looks at a fixation target such as a small toy at near or a video at distance. Each eye is covered separately and we look for abnormal movements of the uncovered eye. The eyes are then covered alternately to elicit latent movements which might be controlled while both eyes are uncovered. We observe how the eyes move from side to side as well as up and down both separately (ductions) and together (versions). We also observe rapid translational movements (saccades), documenting abnormalities if present.