Understanding and ways to manage squint

A squint or strabismus is a medical condition where the eyes of an individual does not align properly. It is more common in children. In such conditions, the eyes look in a different direction. Thus, the focus is on two different objects at the same time.

About squint

Strabismus can be intermittent or constant. The condition occurs when the muscles controlling the eye and eyelid movements and the extraocular muscles don’t work together.

There are multiple ways to manage squint. but before managing, it is important to know what are the causes of the condition and what’s the extent of misalignment. 

For instance, constant strabismus can lead to the loss of the patient’s depth of perception owing to the failure of binocular vision. 

The symptoms of squint

The signs of squint appear from a very early age. The new born babies have cross eyes. It implies that one of the eyes cannot look straight ahead. The minor squints are less noticeable. 

Newborns and infants cal also go cross-eyed when they are tired. But that will not imply that the child has a squint. So it's better that you check with the doctors. 

The possibility of squint is higher when

• Closing or squinting one eye on exposure to sunlight
• Poor peripheral vision
• Eyes look in different directions simultaneously
• The child tilts their head while looking at things

Such symptoms can translate into double vision., which happens due to squinting. Strabismus is usually present right from birth or develops after 3 months. 

Lazy eye

It's the best idea to consult the Best squint surgeon in Mumbai as soon as possible. If you leave the condition untreated, it can lead to a condition called lazy eye or amblyopia. In this condition, the brain will start ignoring every input from one eye. 

The brain starts processing image inputs from one eye only to avoid double vision, 

• When there is poor vision in the squint eye, the child can wear a patch over the eye to encourage the development of the vision. 
• Sometimes, squint problems reappear in adults, even if they undergo treatment in childhood. 

Adults thus suffer from double vision as the brain is already prepared to gather data from both the eyes. And so, the brain cannot ignore the image inputs, which leads to double vision. 

Causes of squint

There can be a number of reasons leading to the squint. So, it's time to go through the probable Causes of squint and learn more about the causes. 

#1. Heredity

Heredity plays a significant role in many health conditions, especially congenital ones. Therefore, if squint runs in the family, then chances are high that your children will develop strabismus after birth or may be born with a squint. 

#2. Weakness of the eye muscles

Eye muscles are responsible for controlling eye movements. So, when one muscle is stronger the eye tends to turn towards the stronger muscle set. And this gives rise to squint.

#3. Injuries

Injury to the nerves associated with the eye or the muscles that control the movement of eyes and eyelids can cause strabismus. 

Besides, a lesion on the cranial nerve, long-sightedness or a hyperopic refractive error can lead to strabismus. if the squint rises from the refractive errors, it will happen in children above 2 years of age. 

Hydrocephalus can also lead to squinting. it is a condition where excessive cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in and around the brain. 

The Health Implications

When a child squints with one eye for a long time, the vision of the eye will become lazy. The brain tries to ignore the inputs from the deviating eye. and this can lead to loss of vision to some extent in one eye. 

The child can lose binocular vision if you don’t treat the squint at the right time, and the condition is detrimental to the appearance of any child. 

The treatment options

Early treatment will help to increase the ways to manage squint. Quick correction is easy and necessary. 

#1. Glasses

In many cases, the doctors notice that the squint becomes less noticeable when the child wears glasses. The problem may disappear too. And such a type of squint is called an accommodative squint. 

On removing the glasses, the squint is visible again. So, glasses can correct the condition. 

#2. Occlusion therapy

The specialists at Eye Align can suggest occlusion therapy that improves the vision of the lazy eye. You have to cover the child’s good eye with a patch. It compels the brain to use the visual input from the affected eye to see and strengthen the pathway between the lazy eye and the brain. 

#3. Eye exercises

The experts also suggest eye exercises that strengthen the potential of the eyes to work together. It's more helpful for older children. It's an effective means when you combine them with surgery or glasses. 

#4. Pencil push-ups

Pencil Push-up treatment is a medical attempt to teach the brain for working more efficiently to improve binocular vision. It is a Squint eye exercise that you need to perform with a pencil, although you can use any object similar to a pencil. 

#5. Barrel card

This is a form of vision therapy that will help the patient to cover and maintain binocular vision. It will be a suppression-free fusion. It's effective for most types of squint.

#6. Surgery

Many children need operations of the eye muscles to straighten the squint. the surgeon will apply general anaesthetic, which indicates that your child will be unconscious during the process.

The operation aims to strengthen or weaken the muscles of the eye for better alignment.

#7. Botulinum toxin injections, or Botox

Yes, you read correctly. The application of Botulinum Toxin or Botox can be one of the many ways to manage squint in children. It can complement a squint surgery for flawless results. The impact can be temporary, but definitely effective. 

Now that you know the options of treatment, you should find the right clinic to approach for the treatment. Remember that the doctors will be handling the child or even a new-born. Therefore, research about the clinic is an imperative part of the treatment.