This result would have sufficed perfectly for a cosmetic tenotomy where
binocular fusion did not exist; the annoyance caused to patient by
diplopia, however, was only slightly relieved. I decided, therefore, on
a second operation, not without fearing an excessive result, and
performed tenotomy of the left internal rectus with a very small
conjunctival wound and by closing the wound by means of a suture. The
result was by no means excessive, for it was perfectly _nil_, apparently
even negative at first, for a few days after the operation the area of
single vision approached the eye to less than 0·5 m. and at 4 to 5 m. a
prism of 20° was requisite for correction; however, eighteen days after
the tenotomy of the left internus everything was as before. Single
vision to 1 m. while prism 12° corrected for a distance of 4 to 5 m. The
tenotomy then had no effect at all on the position of the eye; however,
the restriction of movement dependent on it, asserted itself in that the
double images were crossed on the limit of the right visual field (about
45° towards the right). On the supposition that this insufficient result
might be caused by the suture of the conjunctival wound I decided to
repeat the separation of the internal rectus. The agglutination of the
muscle with the sclerotic is so slight for two to three weeks after the
operation that the strabismus hook perfectly suffices to sever the
connection; no suture was put in, but the result again was _nil_, and on
the day after the operation single vision was only present to 0·5 m. in
the middle line, just as after the previous tenotomy of the left
internal rectus. It was now clear that the result with respect to the
position of the eye was only unsuccessful because the antagonist did not
do its duty. I shortened the abducens (without touching the internus
again). The immediate effect, during the chloroform narcosis, was a
terrible divergence, but on the same evening it was less, and
twenty-four hours after the operation with a red glass, homonymous
double images were present close together at a distance of 4 m. Ten days
afterwards binocular single vision was insured, facultative divergence
= 3° at 4 m., crossed double images towards the limits of both visual
fields, but only on moving the eyes in a lateral direction; no practical
use was made of this. If one could have diagnosed beforehand the
insufficiency of the externi assuredly present here, which was probably
the reason for the development of squint on the healing of the paralysis
of the abducens, one would have been able to combine shortening of the
right abducens with tenotomy of the internus in the first operation,
whereas the necessity for the advancement was only shown by the
abnormally slight effect of the tenotomy on the left side. According to
accounts received by letter the favorable result has continued.
We obtain a result more quickly by the immediate advancement of the
abducens. For example:
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