TikTokers get educated on a creepy eye condition that blocks the eyeball from moving to one side.
What do you know about Duane’s Retraction Syndrome? If your answer is “not much,” here is a TikTok lesson on this rare eye condition.
Social media user @vantasticmess, who has Left Eye Duane’s Retraction Syndrome, shared what it’s like to live with the condition.
@vantasticmess Reply to @coyleharvey more than you ever wanted to know about Duane Syndrome #congenitaldefect #medicalcondition
Interestingly, Duane’s Retraction Syndrome affects only about 1% to 5% of people with eye movement disorders. As Unilad notes, it is characterized by a limited ability to move the eye horizontally inwards, outwards, or in both directions.
Responding to a person asking whether he sees two different things when looking left, the TikToker explained:
“The answer is yes, but it takes a little while for it to happen. But the difference in the directions my eyes are looking is visible way before I actually start seeing two things.”
He added:
“It also depends on the angle that I’m looking at the camera from. It takes a lot longer for my left eye to stop turning left when I look up.”
After doing some research, the Tiktoker found out that Duane’s Retraction Syndrome is “pretty rare,” and it’s “only genetic about 10% of the time.”
Another TikTok user, @thelazyboyfriend, also spoke up about the condition and demonstrated it in action.
@thelazyboyfriend explaining my weird party trick/birth defect #weirdbodies #eyes #stitchthis
The social media user said:
“In my case of Duane’s Syndrome, looking at you straight on is fine, no issues. But if I try to look to my right, this side doesn’t.”
Rare Diseases describes Duane’s Syndrome as “an eye movement disorder present at birth (congenital) characterized by horizontal eye movement limitation.” According to the website, the majority of cases are “sporadic in origin,” as only about 10% of patients show “a familial pattern.”
Did you know about Duane’s Retraction Syndrome before reading this article? Do you or someone you know have this rare condition? Let us know in the comment section!
