I'm 24 and I've had problems with my right eye turning out intermittently ever since I was about twelve. It used to happen only when I was tired, but over the past two years it happens more often, and can skip between both eyes. I spend most of the time concentrating on making my eyes both focus in the same direction, as the eye naturally wants to go outwards, but it's getting increasingly difficult and has been causing my eye to feel achy and has been making me feel increasing paranoid about looking at anyone else.

I was told I had astigmatism in the right eye when I visited the opticians last (I have been wearing glasses for long distance for the past 7 years). The problems with my squint led me to see an opthalmologist who told me that my eye muscles were very strong and that exercises should help. I've found no significant improvement in the exercises and I'm scared that it will either continue to get worse or I'll have to have surgery. I have a phobia of anyone going near my eyes, let alone with needles; and an even larger fear of general anaesthetic due to family members having bad experiences with this.

Will the exercises help me in the long term? Will patching the good eye help? I want to try all the possible self-help methods I can.