My Most Commonly Watched Surgery

Diagram of the different eye muscles

One of my major learning goals was to identify and explain some of the most common surgeries performed at my mentoring site. I have since identified eye muscle surgeries as one of them, and I have become fascinated with them over time. The very first procedure I watched in the operating room was a lateral rectus recession, and I will never forget how amazing it was to witness firsthand!

There are two main types of eye muscle surgeries performed, and those are lateral (or medial) rectus recessions, and lateral (or medial) rectus resections. The two have very similar names, however the functions they perform are very different. In a lateral rectus recession, the surgeons weaken the lateral rectus muscles’ pull on the eyes. This is often done if a patient's eyes are drifting outwards (this is called exotropia), and it helps to reduce negative impacts on vision and depth perception. Below is a diagram of a lateral rectus recession.

In a lateral rectus resection, the surgeons shorten the lateral rectus muscle by cutting a piece of it and reattaching it to the eye. This is done to strengthen the muscle’s outward pull on the eye and also helps correct residual esotropia.