The Frequency and Manifestations of Ocular Causes of Abnormal Head Posture

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To determine the frequency and manifestations of different ocular causes of abnormal head posture (AHP).

Method

This prospective, consecutive case series study was performed on 149 patients with ocular AHP at Farabi hospital, Iran, from February 2020 to June 2021. All patients underwent routine ophthalmic examinations. The manifestation of AHP was determined by direct observation from three viewing angles, while the patient read the smallest line on the vision chart that they could see. In front, above, and lateral gazes, observations were performed to find head tilt, head turn, and chin abnormal position, respectively. A picture with habitual AHP was taken from all patients. The amount of head tilt was measured by calculating the angle between the line that connects the lips center to the center of the eyebrows and the vertical line using the Corel Draw X7 computer software.

Results

The mean age of 149 patients with ocular AHP [101 (67.8%) males and 48 (32.2%) females] was 16.2 ± 12.2 (range, 2–57) years. The most common ocular sources of AHP were found to be superior oblique palsy (SOP) in 66 (44.3%) patients, 54 (36.2%) cases with Duane’s retraction syndrome (DRS), and 12 (8.1%) patients with nystagmus. Other frequent causes of ocular AHP were dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) in 5 (3.4%), A and V pattern strabismus in 3 (2.0%), and 2 cases (1.3%) in each of Brown syndrome, inferior rectus (IR) palsy, and congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles (CFEOM). The most common manifestations of AHP in all cases were “pure head turn” (48.3%), followed by “pure head tilt” (24.8%), “simultaneous head tilt and head turn” (20.8%), and “chin up” (6.0%). The mean head tilt among all patients with head tilt was 10.4° ± 8.9° (range, 5.0°−31.7°).

Conclusion

The most frequent ocular sources of AHP were SOP, DRS, and nystagmus, followed by DVD, A and V pattern strabismus, IR palsy, CFEOM, and Brown syndrome. In addition, pure head turn and pure head tilt were the most common manifestations of ocular AHP but were not always seen in the same direction or combination as previously reported with these etiologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Ocular abnormal head posture
• superior oblique palsy
• Duane’s retraction syndrome
• nystagmus
• dissociated vertical deviation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.