Hey, you there with the lazy eye: turn it to me

Yesterday I had a vision checkup. I usually go every 12 months, but this time I put it off because my vision hadn't really felt any worse. I only went because my prescription was expired, meaning I couldn't buy more contacts. Anyway, this was probably the most interesting eye appointment I've had since getting glasses in third grade (I am 24).

First, this was the first time since aforementioned glasses-getting that my vision did not get worse. IN FACT, the optometrist actually reduced my prescription from -4.75 to -4.5. This is majorly happy news. I had heard your vision eventually levels off or maybe even improves, but I had feared that I was on a Miltonian path. (Not that that'd be so bad, considering he wrote effing Paradise Lost while blind.)

Then, he explained that the reason I often close my left eye when reading for long periods of time is because I have slight exophoria or exotropia. (I'm not entirely clear on the difference between the two, but I think the latter is worse.) Basically, he said some of the muscles aren't as strong as they should be. I just don't want to end up with a truly lazy eye. On one hand it really makes me feel better knowing that there is a physical explanation for why I sometimes just can't keep focusing and why my depth perception is sometimes poor. (Really, in like 2000, a high school guidance counselor looked at some job aptitude test, saw that I wasn't great with judging distances, and told me I'd never make it as a juggler.) I turned down the optometrist's offer for a prism reading glass prescription, and apparently the condition can be improved with "vision therapy." Considering most insurance won't pay for ocular stuff, I'd venture to guess that treatment isn't covered...but we'll see what Davis Vision says. So please, if you eventually see me sporting a corrective eye patch, just call me Cap'n Kim.