Strabismus: the key to becoming a master artist?

Strabismus is a binocular vision disorder where the eyes can't maintain proper alignment, and therefore no longer work as a team. The layman's term is "crosseyed"- one eye fixates on a particular point while the other eye fixates elsewhere (either inward, outward, upward, or downward). Strabismus can be caused by genetics, inappropriate development of the brain, or injuries to muscles or nerves (CN III - Oculomotor) that control eye movement (Cooper, J. & Cooper, R., 2016).
Strabismus causes defective vision and is often treated with vision therapy and/or surgery, but researchers believe untreated strabismus may offer a unique perception of the world that allows artists to successfully capture the 3D world onto a 2D canvas (Tyler, 2018). This advantage comes from what is called suppression, where the brain ignores visual input from the misaligned eye which then limits depth perception and creates a 2D monocular view (Tyler, 2018). Strabismus can occur intermittently, which would allow the artist to switch from 3D to 2D vision periodically (Tyler, 2018).

Leonardo Di Vinci was one of the most detailed artists of all time. His famous paintings are eerily enjoyable to gaze at. I remember staring at La Joconde in the L'ouvre of Paris for what seemed like hours, without the slightest idea for why my eyes were so attracted to these mere brush strokes. His notebooks full of drawings showed the first anatomically correct depiction of the spine, cirrhosis of the liver, and function of the aortic valve (Sooke, 2014). Researchers wanted to know if perhaps strabismus was in part responsible for these artistic and scientific contributions to humanity. Dr. Christopher Tyler analyzed the irises, pupils, and eyelid apertures of six famous works by Da Vinci which some claim to be self portraits of the artist. Dr. Tyler believed if Da Vinci truly was "crosseyed" then some evidence of this must appear in the incredibly detailed artist's work. In all six analyzed works, Dr. Tyler found misalignment in one eye all consistent with exotropia, or outward misalignment.

There is also evidence to suggest that strabismus is much more prevalent among artists than the general population (Livingstone, Lafer-Sousa, & Conway, 2011). This being said, should we be so quick to blast corrective lasers into the eyes of children with strabismus, or just hand them a paintbrush? Is it not the tiny imperfections of humanity that makes us such incredibly beautiful creatures?

Citations:
1. Cooper, J., & Cooper, R. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.strabismus.org/what_causes_strabismus.html

2. Livingstone, M. S., Lafer-Sousa, R., & Conway, B. R. (2011). Stereopsis and Artistic Talent. Psychological Science,22(3), 336-338. doi:10.1177/0956797610397958

3. Sooke, A. (2014, October 21). Culture - Leonardo da Vinci's groundbreaking anatomical sketches. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130828-leonardo-da-vinci-the-anatomist

4. Tyler, C. W. (2018). Evidence That Leonardo da Vinci Had Strabismus. JAMA Ophthalmology. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2018.3833