Isolated Duane retraction syndrome

Isolated Duane retraction syndrome is a disorder of eye movement. This condition prevents outward movement of the eye (toward the ear), and in some cases it may also limit inward eye movement (toward the nose). In people with this condition, the eyeball pulls back (retracts) into its socket and the eyelid opening narrows as the eye moves inward. Due to these movement limitations, the eyes often do not look in the same direction (strabismus). Instead, affected individuals may need to turn their head to track objects with both eyes.

Normally, only one eye is affected (most commonly the left eye) in people with isolated Duane retraction syndrome. About 10 percent of people with this condition also develop amblyopia ("lazy eye"), a condition that causes vision loss in the affected eye.

About 70 percent of all cases of Duane retraction syndrome are isolated, which means they occur without other signs and symptoms. The remaining cases of Duane retraction syndrome occur as part of syndromes that affect other areas of the body. For example, Duane-radial ray syndrome is characterized by this eye disorder and abnormalities of bones in the arms and hands.

Researchers have identified three forms of isolated Duane retraction syndrome, designated types I, II, and III. The types are differentiated by which eye movements are most severely restricted (inward, outward, or both). All three types are characterized by a retraction of the eyeball as the eye moves inward.