If your eyes are unable to remain aligned, you may develop a condition called strabismus. This effect may be persistent, present all the time, or intermittent. In order for you to have clear vision both of your eyes must remain fixed on the object you are viewing. When one becomes misaligned, the impact to your vision is significant.
Strabismus almost always presents itself in childhood. Its aesthetic impact is quite noticeable, as the eyes can be visually misaligned.
Strabismus Symptoms
Strabismus is most easily recognized visually: the misalignment of your eyes are often quite noticeable.
In kids, strabismus can be a significant impairment in normal educational and social development. As you can imagine, strabismus can make eye contact awkward or embarrassing.
Large-angle strabismus, where the misalignment is significant, can lead to severe amblyopia in the misaligned eye. Treatment is most effective when it is caught and acted on early.
Small-angle strabismus produce more visual symptoms, eye strain, and headaches. It can also produce blurry or shaky vision. As with large-angle strabismus, severe amblyopia can develop without treatment.
Strabismus Treatment
In some cases of small-angle intermittent strabismus, vision therapy can provide assistance in properly aligning the two eyes.
In most cases, surgery is the only way to properly correct strabismus. It is most effective when done as a child, and often multiple surgeries are required to correct strabismus.
If required, we will refer you or your child to an Ophthalmologist who specializes in strabismus corrective surgery.
