Enquire Now When a person’s eyes are misaligned and instead focus in different directions, it’s called a squint. It is also known as “strabismus”. It can happen at any age, although it usually affects kids. Treatments such as corrective lenses can be beneficial.
Squint can be of two types i.e., continuous or sporadic. This usually happens because the extraocular muscles, which regulate the movement of the eye and the eyelid, are not coordinating properly. This makes it impossible for both eyes to be focused on the same area at once. It can also result from a brain ailment or injury that affects coordinated functioning of both the eyes. When binocular vision is impaired due to persistent strabismus, depth perception is lost. It affects around 2–5% of people in the general population. About one in twenty children, including babies, have squints. While this condition can appear in older children or adults also, most squints occur before the age of three.
Sometimes squints are very slight, and sometimes they are only noticeable occasionally, so this might not always be clear. An eye that is “off direction” can point upward, downward, inward, or outward. Certain squints occur only when the affected person is tired, only when the eyes turn in a particular direction or only when the eyes are closed. Some squints are noticeable all the time.
Some infants and children develop a squint later in life, while some babies are born with a squint (strabismus). Sometimes the eye tries to correct a vision issue, like shortsightedness, which results in acquired squints; however, most of the time, the cause is not known. Rarely, an issue with the eye itself could be the reason for a squint. One eye turns inward or outward in the majority of squints. In rare cases, it may turn up or down.
Based on the cause, squint can be of following types:
Congenital: In this condition, a person is born with the squint.
Hereditary, or Running in Families: This happens due to the genetic link
Acquired: This happens as the result of an injury, illness, or long-sightedness
Cranial Nerve Defect: It happens due to a lesion on a cranial nerve
Following factors increase your risk of developing squint:
Family history of squints
Refractive errors like farsightedness (hyperopia)
Premature birth
Neurological conditions
Vision loss
Eye conditions like cataracts
Eye injuries
Congenital factors
Medical conditions like like cerebral palsy or Down syndrome
Prolonged screen time
Following are the types of squint based on the position of the eye:
Hypertropia: when the eye turns upwards
Hypotropia: when the eye turns downwards
Esotropia: when the eye turns inwards
Exotropia: when the eye turns outwards
Following are the types of squint based on its visibility:
Continuous: When the squint is continuously visible.
Intermittent: When the squint is visible intermittently
From a young age, the indication of a squint is fairly evident. There is one eye that is not looking directly ahead. A small squint could go unnoticed. Newborns and infants can be cross eyed, particularly if they are tired. This doesn’t mean that they have a squint. A child may have double vision or possibly squint if the child has one eye closed or tilt their head when looking at objects. Seeing a doctor is a wise decision.in such case. Usually, strabismus manifests itself either from birth or after three months of age.
Following are the various treatment options for squint treatment:
Glasses: If hypermetropia, or long-sightedness, is the primary reason for the squint, glasses may correct it.
Botulinum toxin injection, or botox: This is injected into one of the eye’s surface muscles. In the event that symptoms and signs develop suddenly and no underlying cause can be found, the doctor might suggest this course of action. The injected muscle is momentarily weakened by the botox, which can aid in proper eye alignment.
Vision therapy: These might strengthen muscle control and improve focus by improving brain-eye coordination.
Surgery: It is only preferred when no other therapies work. Binocular vision can be restored and the eyes can be realigned. The muscle attached to the eye is reattached to an alternate spot by the surgeon. To achieve the ideal balance, surgery may occasionally be required for both eyes.
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Both adults and children can receive treatment for squint. Adults may experience enhanced eye alignment, appearance, and vision. But early intervention in children can prevent complications like amblyopia. There are three options: surgery, exercises, and glasses.
Corrective glasses or contact lenses, eye exercises, and in certain situations, surgery to realign the muscles surrounding the eyes are treatment options for squint. The type and severity of the squint determine the best course of action.
In some cases, surgery is not required. Glasses or exercises can help with many cases of squint, particularly in younger patients. If these solutions are ineffective or the squint is severe, surgery may be an effective option.
The majority of patients can return home the same day after squint surgery. Pain medication can be used to manage the mild discomfort that is commonly experienced during recovery. In order to track healing, you might need to miss a few days of work or school and make follow-up appointments.
In certain situations, especially when there is a refractive error like nearsightedness or farsightedness, glasses may still be required following surgery. Although correcting the alignment of the eyes is the aim of surgery, glasses might still be necessary for the best vision.
Despite the fact that treatment is usually successful, squints can still recur, especially in growing children. Seeing your eye doctor on a regular basis will help you keep an eye on your eye changes and take quick action when necessary.
After treatment, you might experience temporary blurred vision, so it’s best to make arrangements for someone to drive you home. You can get back behind the wheel once your vision stabilizes, which usually happens in a few hours or a day.
