Exotropia is a form of strabismus where the eyes are deviated outward. It is the opposite of esotropia and usually involves more severe axis deviation than exophoria. People with exotropia often experience crossed diplopia. Intermittent exotropia is a fairly common condition. "Sensory exotropia" occurs in the presence of poor vision in one eye. Infantile exotropia (sometimes called "congenital exotropia") is seen during the first year of life, and is less common than "essential exotropia" which usually becomes apparent several years later.

The brain's ability to see three-dimensional objects depends on proper alignment of the eyes. When both eyes are properly aligned and aimed at the same target, the visual portion of the brain fuses the two forms from the two eyes into a single image. When one eye turns inward, outward, upward, or downward, two different pictures are sent to the brain. Thus, the brain can no longer fuse the two images coming from the two eyes. This causes loss of depth perception and binocular vision. The term is from Greek exo meaning "outward" and trope meaning "a turning".