What is Strabismus?

Strabismus is a physical disorder which is most commonly known as cross eyes. This is when one of the eyes points in, out, up, or down, whilst the other eye points normally. The strabismus definition has many terms, if one eye points inwards this is known as esotropia, if the eye points outwards it is called exotropia, up is hypertropia, and down is hypotropia. This condition if left untreated can lead to the visionary problem know as amblyopia.

Treatment And Strabismus Surgery

Strabismus treatment is very similar to the treatment that is used for amblyopia. Strabismus in child patients will usually involve vision therapy. This will in most cases include patching and visual exercises. Glasses to enable proper focusing are also used as are eye drops. The other option in strabismus treatment is strabismus surgery.

Pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus diagnosis go hand in hand and it is vital that all children have proper eye testing carried out at an early age. Treating strabismus in child patients is vital to reduce the risk of amblyopia developing.
Before using surgery on strabismus in child patients, many eye care practitioners will use botox.

This is injected into the ocular muscles of the eye which temporarily relaxes them. There have been reported cases of this procedure permanently correcting the strabismus in child patients.

Whilst surgery may be the last resort it will correct the misaligned eyes. It cannot however prevent amblyopia from developing.

What Causes The Problem?

It is thought that the main cause of this problem is paralysis of the ocular muscles in the eyes or the muscles in one of the eyes pulling more than the other.
Sometimes strabismus in child patients has been caused because the child in question suffers from farsightedness. What happens is that as the child tries to focus to compensate for their visionary problem they will develop what is known as accommodative strabismus. This condition is normally apparent before the age of two but can occur as late as six years of age.

Signs And Symptoms To Look Out For

Newborn babies will often appear to have cross eyes and this is due to the fact that their vision has not fully developed. This will disappear as the baby gets older. Strabismus in child cases is when the cross eye syndrome does not disappear and you should consult your eye care practitioner if you are unsure. Early diagnosis of this problem makes treating it a lot easier and the results are more promising.

 
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