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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The clinical features of a VI nerve palsy include:

  • total paralysis of lateral rectus muscle preventing the eye from abducting beyond the midline
  • esotropia, due to the unopposed action of medial rectus - characteristically, greater at distance than at near, and greater to one side
  • diplopia if binocular single vision had been developed - images are horizontal and parallel to each other
  • head may be turned laterally towards the side of the paralysed muscle in order to neutralise diplopia

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