Which condition indicates a tendency of the eye to turn outward?

The condition that indicates a tendency of the eye to turn outward is known as exophoria. This condition is characterized by a latent deviation where one eye tends to drift outward when both eyes are not focusing simultaneously on an object. Exophoria can be identified through specific tests that measure eye alignment and help determine how the eyes are functioning together.

Exophoria often arises in situations where the eyes are required to focus on a near object, and the outward tendency may become evident when the eyes are covered or when binocular vision is disrupted. This characteristic makes it crucial to recognize and diagnose, as it can affect depth perception and overall visual comfort.

In contrast, the other conditions represent different forms of eye alignment issues. Esophoria refers to a tendency of the eye to turn inward, tropia is a manifest deviation where the misalignment is present all the time, and amblyopia is a condition where there is poor or disrupted vision in one eye that is not correctable by glasses or contact lenses, often due to the brain favoring one eye over the other during development. Understanding these distinctions is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment in optical training.