Morphology of Vertical Strabismus (Hypertropia) In the 19th-Century Italian Journalist Roberto Sacchetti

Abstract

This study presents a multidisciplinary retrospective diagnosis of vertical strabismus (hypertropia) in the 19th-century Italian journalist Roberto Sacchetti (1847–1881). Using iconodiagnostic methodology, palaeopathological reasoning, and biographical contextualisation, we examined an 1881 engraving of Sacchetti to assess ocular alignment and explore possible aetiologies. The findings support a diagnosis of mild congenital hypertropia of the left eye, most likely non-syndromic and non-debilitating. Alternative diagnoses such as acquired trochlear nerve palsy or systemic disease are considered less plausible. This case adds to the growing literature on historical ophthalmic conditions identified through visual documentation and offers insight into the prevalence and perception of ocular misalignment in the 19th century.