Strabismus is a disorder of the position or movement of the eyes where both eyes do not have a common direction of vision. In healthy eyes, both eyes stand upright looking at the same point and the movements are the same. In some cases strabismus occurs because the mobility of one eye in a certain direction is limited.
In children, strabismus is usually congenital or develops in early childhood, but can also occur in mechanical injuries or various neurological or internal diseases.
In adults, strabismus often occurs in the case of a head or eye injury due to paralysis of some of the muscles that move the eye. It can also occur as part of some endocrine or immune diseases (thyroid disease).
Symptoms
- Eyes that do not appear to be in the same position at the same time.
- Eyes that do not move together and parallel to each other,
- Blinking or closing one eye in bright light.
- Bending or turning the head to focus on an object.
- Hitting in objects (strabismus limits the perception of the distance of objects).
- The patient may also complain of blurred vision, tired eyes and sensitivity to light or double vision.
Symptoms may appear from time to time. They can get worse when the patient is tired, sick, sleepy or anxious.
In newborns the position of the eyes is usually not fixed and they do not move together. This is normal. During the first year of a newborn’s life, vision gradually develops and the eye muscles slowly strengthen.
If after one year the eyes of the newborn are still not in the same position, it is necessary to be examined by an ophthalmologist.
Strabismus in children impairs the healthy development of vision and therefore it is important to start treatment as early as possible. It is often combined with other vision disorders in children, so it needs to be treated in combination with other treatment methods.
The most common consequence of strabismus is amblyopia of an eye that is not straight. Myopia can be treated only in childhood and therefore it is best to operate on strabismus while the vision is in development.