What is Strabismus?

Strabismus is often referred to as “cross eyes “is used to describe any condition in which the eyes are not parallel-whether one eye turns or wanders in out or up or down. It may occur all the time or only when your child is tired, ill or concentrating on nearby objects. It may be obvious at birth or may not show up until later in childhood or even in adult life. Most often Strabismus is due to persistent eye muscle imbalance.

It is not uncommon for a newborn baby’s eyes to wander. At birth the eye muscles are not well coordinated, but within a few weeks the infant learns to use both eyes together and the wandering disappear. BUT IF THE CONDITION CONTINUES BEYOND EARLY INFANCY PROMPT MEDICAL ATTENTION IS REQUIRED.

What is Amblyopia?

If the strabismus goes unchecked as the child learns to see, the eye that is crossed or wandering conveys a blurred image to the brain. In turn the brain reflects this blurred or double image and soon the child stops unconsciously using the weak eye. The result is that amblyopia or lazy eye develops in that eye that is not being used leaving the child with poor vision if the condition goes undetected.

BECAUSE MOST CASES OF AMBLYOPIA AND STRABISMUS CAN BE TREATED SUCCESSFULLY IF DIAGNOSED EARLY IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO SEEK PROMPT MEDICAL ATTENTION.

Strabismus tends to run in families so watch your child closely for signs if another family has had it.

Goa Of treatment

The three main goals of treatment are:

To preserve your childs vision.

To straighten the eyes .

To make the eyes work together if possible.

Reaching these goals may require years of treatment, but remember –your childs vision is at stake

The doctor has tools like –patching, glasses, exercises and perhaps even surgery. But none of these will be successful without the most important tool of all: your help and cooperation.

Things to Remember

1. Your child will not outgrow crossed or wandering eyes.

2. Without treatment strabismus can lead to amblyopia.

3. It is never too early for a child with strabismus to have an eye exam.

4. The earlier treatment is started the more likely that your childs vision will be preserved.

5. Patching and glasses are often used sometimes along with surgery to improve the problem.

6. Even after surgery your child must continue treatment till the full course of treatment is completed.