Strabismus

STRABISMUS IS A WORD FOR EYES THAT ARE NOT STRAIGHT OR DO NOT LINE UP WITH EACH OTHER.

This problems is caused when the muscles of the eyes do not work together
About one in 50 children has strabismus
Half these children are born with the condition
An illness or accident may cause strabismus
If the problem is not found and treated it may lead to lazy eye (amblyopia)
It can also affect your child’s personality because the may look different and feel embarrassed

Look for signs of lazy eye such as:
Favoring one eye
Tilting the head
An eye drifts or wanders when the child is tired, sick or in bright light
Your child tends to close one eye, especially in sunlight
Rubbing the eyes
Your child seems to blink too much
Your child holds things close to his or her eyes
Have your child’s vision checked one eye at a time
Remember treatment works best when lazy eye is found early
Child’s eyes should be checked shortly after birth, before starting school (age 3-4), and throughout the school years as needed

First the doctor must treat the cause of Amblyopia, Some common treatments include:
Glasses can correct focus or help eyes that are not lines up
Surgery on eye muscles can help straighten the eyes if other treatments donâ€™t work. Surgery can help both eyes work together
Eye exercises may help the weak eye see better
Along with treating the cause, the doctor must help the weak eye grow strong again. Some ways to do so are:
Patching or covering the strong eye makes the â€œlazyâ€ eye work harder
Your child may need to wear an eye patch for a few weeks or many months
Your child will have to visit the eye doctor regularly to see if the weaker eye is getting stronger
Patching works best in early childhood, but a doctor may recommend patching at any time
Medicines such as eye drops or ointment can be used instead of patching in some cases to blur the vision in the stronger eye
Glasses or contact lenses can also be use to blur vision in the strong eye, helping the weak eye work harder

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