Strabismus: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment For Wandering Eyes

Treatment Options For Strabismus

There are three forms of treatment available for strabismus: eyeglasses, eye patches, and eye surgery. Since each case is different, an ophthalmologist can recommend one of these treatments or a combination of them. In all instances, however, early treatment is essential for the best results and minimizing lasting effects. Infants and very young children with strabismus will almost always require surgery to realign the eye(s), although some ophthalmologists will try eye patches or glasses first to train the eyes and the brain.

During strabismus surgery, the ophthalmologist will remove and reattach sections of eye muscle as necessary to strengthen or weaken a particular muscle to make it shift towards the center and look straight. However, the ophthalmologist may not be able to align the eye completely. If this is the case, they will almost always write a prescription for glasses to complete the alignment.

Wearing Glasses To Treat Strabismus

When an ophthalmologist prescribes glasses for strabismus, the child needs to wear them all the time for the best results. It is not like an adult who needs reading glasses. The prescription will adjust how light reflects and make it easier for the affected eye to focus so the eye no longer over-focuses and turns in another direction. Some children grow out of the need to wear glasses to align their eyes, but many will wear them throughout their adult lives, often to reduce headaches, since it requires more strength to align the eye without glasses, or simply because they are used to wearing glasses at this point.

Parents should have their child return for an annual visit to check on their eye development and adjust the prescription as necessary. The ophthalmologist will eventually recommend parents take their child to an optometrist when they are no longer concerned about the possibility of further surgery. The optometrist will take care of the eye exams and prescriptions from there. As the child reaches adulthood, they will often be able to reduce the number of visits to once every two years instead of once a year.