When I see a photo (or look directly into the eyes of my friend) she sometimes has one eye that is positioned in the middle and the other eye that is to the left of the eye socket.

Do you know the name of this condition? Are there any serious things that can happen to her eyes in the long term ie loss of sight? What causes this condition?

thanks

In Italy we call it " Venus's strabism " .. Not sure is the same in English speaking countries..

As the name suggests, in ancient times it was considered kind of charming.

As far as i know, there is not any danger of losing the sight..

My ex mother in law had that, she was a keen reader all her life, but to me she was not charming at all..

Your friend likely has a Strabismus commonly known as a squint.

This condition is best treated during childhood.

An untreated squint can result in a lack of binocular vision and poor sight in the affected eye

As an adult a cosmetic "cure" may be possible but this will not restore any loss of vision.

If your friend is concerned a consultation with an Ophthalmic Surgeon will result in a diagnosis and enable any treatment options to be identified.

It sounds to me like you're describing what is commonly called 'lazy eye', or medically known as an effect of Strabismus, as another person mentioned.

It happens in varying degrees, and I remember having a teacher once who had this quite severely. We never really sure of who he was looking at.

http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/patientcare/conditions/strabismus.html#treatment