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What Is Strabismus?
Strabismus, also known as crossed or turned eye, is the
medical term used when the two eyes are not straight.
It occurs in approximately 2% to 4% of the population.
Crossed eyes
A child may be born with this condition, or it may develop
within a few months of birth or around two years of age.
This is also called esotropia, or convergent strabismus.
Walleye, or divergent eyes
This is also called exotropia, or divergent strabismus.
Vertical strabismus - The eyes are out
of alignment vertically.
Symptoms
• Turned or crossed eye
• Squinting
• Head tilting or turning
• Double vision (in some cases)
Risk Factors: Most commonly, a tendency
to have some type of strabismus is inherited. If any members
of your family have had strabismus, the condition is more
likely to develop in your child.
Sometimes the condition is due to the eyes being far-sighted
and the need for corrective eyeglasses or, occasionally,
to some muscle abnormality. Very rarely, strabismus may
be secondary to a serious abnormality inside the eye,
such as a cataract or tumour.
What Happens to Sight in Eyes with Strabismus?
Defective binocular vision: The eyes need to be straight
for fusion in the brain of the images of the two eyes.
This gives accurate vision and stereopsis, or 3-D vision;
3-D vision is used to judge depth.
Reduction of vision in the turned eye (amblyopia). A reduction
of vision may occur in one eye in strabismus, especially
under certain circumstances, such as late treatment.
Treatment: The aim of treatment is to
restore good vision to each eye and good binocular vision.
Treatment usually includes patching the eye, using the
eye drops or surgery. The results of treatment are good
and may be excellent, but may depend on how quickly treatment
is begun. This applies particularly to children who are
born with straight eyes but manifest a turned eye around
age two. If treatment is unduly delayed, vision may not
be restored. This type of legal blindness can be completely
prevented. Do not delay if your child has strabismus.
Seek professional advice from your family doctor.
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