Title: Abnormal Head Position - American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Headings: Abnormal Head Position
Abnormal Head Position
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What is an abnormal head posture?
What are some of the ocular causes of an abnormal head position?
Can my child see when the head is in an abnormal position?
Can a longstanding head turn lead to any permanent problems?
What are some of the non-ocular causes of an abnormal head position?
Are there any treatments for abnormal head postures?
Updated 04/2021
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Content: Abnormal Head Position - American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Abnormal Head Position
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What is an abnormal head posture? An abnormal (or anomalous or compensatory) head posture occurs when the head is deviated out of the normal primary straight head position. Abnormal head positions can include chin up, chin down, tilting of the head to the right or left, face turns to the right or left, or a combination of any of these abnormal head positions. The abnormal position of the head can be due to an ocular or a non-ocular problem. What are some of the ocular causes of an abnormal head position? 1) Eye misalignment: Sometimes when a person has a crossed eye, the amount of eye misalignment varies with different gaze positions. The person will typically place his or her head in a position where the eyes are best aligned. This will help to eliminate double vision and/or relieve eye strain. For example, if a superior oblique muscle is weak ( such as in a fourth nerve palsy) a person will tilt the head away from the affected eye because the eyes are most straight in this position.