When the AC/A ratio in prism diopters of vergence per diopter of accommodation numerically equals the patient's interpupillary distance in centimeters, the angle of oculomotor deviation (phoria or squint) will be the same at all distances up to the nearpoint of convergence. .The average adult interpupillary distance is in the neighborhood of 6 centimeters and the average calculated AC/A ratio is only slightly less at about 5.5 p.d./D. Thus, for patients with such P.D.'s and AC/A ratios, the distance and near exophoria will be about the same. The importance of this situation is that these patients tend to have the same kinds of symptoms or visual problems at distance and near, and treatment tends to be equally effective for both distances.
After correcting the refractive error to improve sensory and motor fusion one can consider vertical prisms (that neutralize any vertical deviation present with the eyes in the fused position) in addition to either horizontal prisms or added lens power for further improvement of sensory and motor fusion.
Prisms prescribed to neutralize even small amounts of vertical phoria can overcome symptoms and enhance horizontal fusion. Measures of the associated phoria (prism power that reduces fixation disparity to zero) usually indicate that nearly the full amount of any (disassociated) vertical phoria needs to be corrected with prism.
Whether to consider prescribing lateral prisms at this point depends on the distance phoria. For example, a patient with 10 p.d. exophoria at all distances (AC/A equals P.D.) might benefit at distance and near from a single- vision lens prescription of say 4 p.d. base-in. However, base-in prism is generally of less benefit for the exophoric patient with a normal AC/A than is vision therapy; thus, horizontal prism therapy should be deferred until after results of vision therapy treatment are known.
We have accepted the average AC/A range to be from 3 to 7 p.d./D., which is symmetric around a value of 5 p.d./D. For patients with such AC/A ratios added lenses produce significant changes in vergence. Thus, added minus lenses can be effectively used to change the vergence demand for a patient with exophoria at distance or near. Of course, the change in vergence per diopter of added lens power depends on the AC/A ratio. In our experience, the calculated AC/A gives a better indication of the ultimate vergence change than does the gradient AC/A ratio.
The different sequence of treatment for phoria patients having low, normal, and high AC/A ratios consists mainly of when to consider the use of added lenses and prisms. In the model we have indicated considering prisms before added lenses mainly because of the important effect that vertical prisms have in the treatment. For the exophoria patient having a normal AC/A (3 to 7 p.d./D) under consideration here, added minus lenses are a potentially useful treatment to be considered after determining the refractive correction. However, added lens power is generally of less benefit for the exophoric patient with a normal AC/A than is vision therapy; thus, added lens therapy should be deferred until after vision therapy treatment is are known.
Once the optical considerations have been dealt with in the format described here for normal AC/A patients, the other treatment considerations are similar for all phoria patients.
Any amblyopia should be treated with passive occlusion and/or active training, primarily under binocular conditions. Suppression, which is usually slight and confined to the central retina, must also be treated whether or not amblyopia is present. The ultimate goal here is to eliminate any amblyopia and suppression so that sensory and motor fusion training can be maximally effective; however, sensory and motor fusion training can be introduced as the amblyopia and suppression are being eliminated.
For exophoric patients with normal AC/A ratios, vision training of fusional vergence is typically quite effective for distance and near. Indeed, fusional training can also be additionally effective in breaking down suppression and amblyopia. As is the case for all phoria patients, both of the vergence functions (base-in and base-out) and accommodative facility need to be trained. Even though vergence and accommodative facility is readily achieved for both exophores and esophores, overall clinical success through training alone is more often achieved for exophores because convergence is more easily improved than is divergence.
Surgery is not the problem for exophoric patients with a normal AC/A as it is for the low and high AC/A patients. Even so, surgery is only considered in the occasional instance of a very large exophoria when optical and training management are unsuccessful.