What is strabismus?
Strabismus is often called wandering eye or described as being crossed eyed. It is a condition where one or both of your eyes may turn in, out, up or down. This means your eyes are not properly aligned with each other, resulting in double vision or vision loss in the affected eye.
What causes strabismus?
Coordination of your eyes and their ability to work together as a team develops in your first six months to four years of life. Failure of your eye muscles to work together properly can lead to strabismus. Strabismus can be passed on from parents (hereditary), but may also be acquired secondary to an eye injury or disease.
Who is affected by strabismus?
Children under age six are most affected by strabismus, but it usually first appears between birth and 21 months. It is estimated that five per cent of all children have some type or degree of strabismus. Although rare, strabismus can sometimes begin in adulthood. Sudden onset of strabismus may occur as a result of a stroke, tumor or other disease.
Will a child outgrow strabismus?
A child will not outgrow strabismus without treatment. In fact, the condition may simply become worse without treatment leading to an amblyopic (lazy) eye.
What are the effects of strabismus?
Children with strabismus may initially have double vision. This occurs because both eyes are not focusing on the same object. In an attempt to avoid double vision, the brain will eventually ignore the image from one eye. This is referred to as ‘suppression’. In time, the ignored eye will become unable to function normally and will become largely unused. This may result in the development of lazy eye (amblyopia).
How is strabismus diagnosed?
Parents may be the first to notice a slight wandering of one or both of a child’s eyes. A comprehensive eye examination by a doctor of optometry is recommended by six months of age or sooner if an eye appears to be misaligned.
How is strabismus treated?
Treatment for strabismus can include:
- Eyeglasses (single vision or bifocal),
- Prisms (special lenses that can bend light entering your eye to prevent double vision)
- Vision therapy and
- In some cases, eye muscle surgery.
Strabismus can be corrected with excellent results if detected and treated early, which is why getting treatment by age six months is suggested.