The human eye has six muscles that control eye movement and help the eyes point in a similar direction. Squint eyes or Strabismus can be caused by a number of factors, including problems with the muscles that control eye movement, nerve problems, or certain medical conditions. It can also be present from birth, or develop later in life.
It can cause double vision, difficulty with depth perception, and in some cases, a noticeable cosmetic difference in the appearance of the eyes. Squint correction surgery, also known as strabismus surgery, is a surgical procedure used to correct misaligned or crossed eyes. The goal of the surgery is to improve eye alignment and reduce double vision.
Squint eye or crossed eye, also referred to as strabismus is a condition where each eye point in different directions. One eye is in the direction the affected person intends to look, and the other eye could turn out, in, down, or up. Although this condition can occur at any age, it is commonly observed in children. In most cases, this condition self-corrects but has higher risks of recurring. Hence, treatment is generally recommended by a doctor to correct the squint. Squint may lead to vision problems or even vision loss if left untreated.
Squint eyes are categorized by the direction the misaligned eye is pointing. Misaligned eyes can mean:
- Inward turning (esotropia)
- Outward turning (exotropia)
- Upward turning (hypertropia)
- Downward turning (hypotropia)
Squint eye usually occurs in newborns or children. Early diagnosis can ensure an accurate correction. If your child has crossed/squint eyes that persist for more than 3 months after birth, consult an experienced ophthalmologist immediately. Moreover, here’s how an ophthalmologist will diagnose squint eyes.
- Patient History: Here the doctor will discuss the patient's personal, medical, and family history which will include your current symptoms, and medications if any.
- Corneal Light Reflex Test: A doctor shines light onto the patient's eye to understand the reflection of light on the cornea with respect to the pupil. If the location of the reflection does not match or does not appear uniform to the center of the nasal tip, it could mean that the person has a crossed eye.
- Visual Acuity Test: This eye exam is done to check how well you see letters and symbols from a distance.
- Cover & Uncover Test: This test helps the doctor understand the type, severity, and amount of eye deviation of your squint.
- Retina Exam: This test is done to examine the back of your eyes.
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Before Surgery:
- You may be recommended for a full body checkup prior to the surgery. A doctor then measures if your eye muscles are weaker or stronger.
- You may be asked to discontinue certain medications (such as blood thinners) for a couple of days before and after your surgery.
- You will be asked to fast a few hours before surgery. This is to ensure that your food does not interfere with the anesthesia causing nausea or vomiting.
During Surgery:
Squint surgery is done under general anesthetic and usually takes less than an hour. It is an outpatient procedure and you can return home the same day.
- The surgeon makes a tiny incision in the conjunctiva (a clear liquid that laminates the white layer of the eye).
- An eyelid opener (lid speculum) will be placed over your eye to prevent blinking and to ease the surgeon's access to the affected eyes.
- The surgeon detaches part of the eye muscle and moves it into a new position so that the eyes point in the same direction. This is called re-aligning the misaligned eye.
- The muscles are fixed in their new position with dissolvable stitches hidden behind the eye.
After Surgery:
- Initially, you will experience mild discomfort for a couple of weeks until the newly aligned eye muscles heal.
- You may experience burning and irritation for a few days post-surgery. Avoid touching or scratching your eyes. You will be prescribed antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection in the eye.
- Have regular follow-ups with your doctor to ensure evaluation of recovery and progress post-surgery.
Squint eye surgery is suggested only if other treatment options do not work. Here are other ways an eye doctor would rather initially treat squint eyes.
- Eyeglasses/Contact Lenses: A doctor will recommend using glasses or contact lenses among people whose refractive errors have been left uncorrected. Wearing glasses or contact lenses eases eye strain and requires less effort for the eye to focus.
- Prism Lenses: These lenses bend light entering the eye. This will help relieve strain when the misaligned eye turns to look at an object.
- Eye Exercises: This approach may work for exotropia or outward-turning squint eyes.
- Medication: A doctor will prescribe eye drops or ointments. In some cases, botox injections may be used to weaken an overactive eye muscle.
- Patching: If the patient has lazy eyes and squint eyes at the same time, then a medical approach called patching will concentrate on treating both individually to improve eye movement.
If squint eyes are left untreated, it will get worse resulting in the following:
- Amblyopia: Also known as lazy eye or permanent poor vision in the misaligned eye. When both eyes are looking in different directions, the brain receives two different images and when the patient does not want to see double images, the brain ignores the images from the turned eye resulting in the gradual development of poor vision that can be fatal.
- Blurry Vision: Your vision appears foggy and you may develop symptoms such as dry eyes and irritation.
- Double Vision: You may look at one object but see two images.
- Fatigue: Eye fatigue happens when your eyes are forced to look at something for longer periods. For instance, when you drive towards a setting sun, you get into a situation of gazing at it without blinking for long periods of time. This can add strain and cause eye fatigue.
- Severe headaches: Gazing at objects for longer periods can cause eye muscle spasms around the eye causing severe headaches.
- Reduced Self-esteem: You may develop feelings of low-self esteem being worried about how people perceive your looks.
- Severe Eye Strain: The eye feels tired after looking at an object or thing within less period of time.
Benefits:
A squint eye correction is a 1-hour procedure that improves the alignment of the eyes to make you look at an object straight. Here are some benefits of squint eye surgery.
- Improved visual depth
- Improved visual appearance
- Improved clarity of vision
Risks:
As squint eyes are common among kids, it is vital to understand some of the risks that a squint correction operation carries.
- May require re-surgery (depending on the severity)
- May recur (the surgeon needs to move the eye muscles to the right position accurately)
- May develop double vision unless the newly aligned eyes take time to adjust.
- May develop redness in the eyes for long periods.
- Inside of the eye might get damaged due to dissolvable stitches. (rare cases). However, this is further treated using a laser procedure.
- May develop an infection (this is treated using eye drops).
NOTE: The above-listed risks are rare, but However, make sure that you consult an experienced ophthalmologist to get the best care. Find top ophthalmologists and let Medfin take it forward for you. Surgery Made Easy!
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