Eyes that don’t look at one point
In a squint, the eyes are not looking at the same point. As a result, they do not work well together and problems such as lazy eye or double vision arise. What are the following of strabismus for children and adults?
In strabismus – or in medical terms strabismus or strabismus – one eye is in the wrong direction. Further inwards towards the nose or outwards, directed upwards or downwards or a combination thereof. It affects about 3 to 5 percent of the population. It occurs mainly in children, but adults can also strabismus. The younger it is discovered, the greater the chance of recovery.
Causes
Strabismus can be congenital, but it can also be the result of an illness, accident or a prescription for glasses. farsightedness forces you to work very hard to see clearly, which can cause you to squint. Sometimes there is something wrong with the eye muscles, causing them to skew the eye. Strabismus is common in some families, so hereditary factors also play a role.
Lazy eye due to double vision
A slightly different image enters through each eye. Your brain puts this information together into one picture. If you squint, the two images are too different. Your brain cannot make a correct picture of that and you see everything twice. That’s called diplopia. Certain children who have strabismus hold a hand over one eye or close one eye so that they no longer see double.
Up to the age of 8, the brain resolves double vision by turning one eye out, as it were. The brain focuses on the other eye, so the vision of the disabled eye does not develop properly. That’s called amblyopia, or popularly a lazy eye.
Therapy
Sometimes strabismus in children is immediately noticeable. The GP will then refer you to an ophthalmologist. In others the deviation is so small that you can hardly see it. Some children occasionally squint, for example when they tired to be.
During the checks at the health clinic, the eyes are looked at, so strabismus can be detected there. Indicate it at the health clinic if more people in the family have strabismus, have had a lazy eye or need strong glasses.
If necessary, the ophthalmologist measures a glasses at. Sometimes the strabismus disappears as a result. In addition, masking the good eye can often help a lazy eye and remedy the strabismus. Some of the children require surgery. The eye muscles are shortened or moved under anesthesia to ‘straighten’ the eyes.
Adults
Adults can still suffer from strabismus and lazy eye. In the past, this was monitored less well than now, so it was not always noticed. An lazy eye can no longer be treated in adults. You can have your eyes straightened surgically for cosmetic reasons. However, that is not always possible. Sometimes the brain has adapted so well to strabismus that you would see double after an operation.
At a later age, strabismus is often caused by a poorly functioning or failed cranial nerve. This can be the result of an infarction, tumor, diabetes or any other condition. Also affected eye muscles, an accident or other eye injury can cause strabismus in adults. After the 8th year of life, the brain can no longer eliminate double vision. You will no longer get a lazy eye, but you will see double. Surgery on the eye muscles can ensure that the eyes work properly again.