Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Prep Guide

The term that describes an eye that tends to turn upwards is "hyperphoria." Hyperphoria specifically refers to a condition in which one eye is misaligned vertically above the other, meaning that the affected eye is higher than its counterpart. This vertical misalignment can result in double vision or fusion problems, and it is typically assessed during an eye examination using specific tests.

Understanding hyperphoria is crucial in clinical settings because it helps distinguish various types of strabismus and visual disturbances. In contrast, hypophoria would indicate a downward deviation of one eye, while exophoria and esophoria pertain to horizontal deviations—exophoria referring to an outward turn, and esophoria indicating an inward turn.