Squint is a widespread eye disease and right now, millions of people are suffering from this vision problem. There are several myths pertaining to this eye disease and still, tens of thousands of eye patients believe that this vision blue is incurable but that’s not the case. Thanks to advancements in medical examination methods, a person can easily get rid of this disease and can see well like before.
Talking about the disease in a general sense, let us see what it is, its types, cause, symptoms, treatment, surgery, cost of treatment, eye exercise, and more. So, without any further ado, let us delve deeper to know about it. After completing the basic details about squint, we will move further…
What is Squint?
Squint also known as strabismus is an eye disease where the eyes do not align properly; in layman’s terms, both eyes (Oculus Dexter and oculus sinister) do not look in the same direction at any given time. When a human being with normal vision sees the eyes of a patient it feels like both eyes are looking somewhere else. A patient has one eye turned inwards and the other eye will either be upwards, downwards, or maybe outwards. This is not normal and needs to be treated as soon as possible.
Types of Squint Eyes
- Esotropia.
- Exotropia.
- Hypertropia.
- Hypotropia.
Types based on concerning the presence
- Constant
- Intermittent
Type of based on when it is seen
- Manifest
- Latent
Types on the basis of severity:
- A concomitant squint means that the angle or degrees of both eyes are in the same direction whenever you look at them.
- An incomitant squint means that the degree or angles of both eyes are not in the same direction whenever you look at them.
Types of squint on the basis of onset
- The squint that is developed in infancy, i.e. between 1-3 years of age
- The squint that is developed post 5 years of age or during adulthood
Types of squint on the basis of cause
- In numerous cases of childhood squint, the cause of squint is unknown
- The common causes of having squint in the eyes are eyes disorder, eyes muscles, and damage to nerves or brain cells.
What are the Causes of Squint Eyes?
At times, it becomes very difficult to know the exact cause of squint eyes, especially when it happens to an infant. There are many people who by mistake consider the unusual look of the eyes to be squint eyes but it is not! Let us see the most common causes of squint in the world
- Heredity issues
- Eye muscles are weak in nature
- Problem in the nerves
- It can also cause due to damage eye muscles
- Another common cause of squint eyes is- cataracts, glaucoma, corneal scars, optic nerve disease, refractive errors, tumors of the eye, retinal disease, etc.
- Squint eyes can also take place if you have suffered an eye injury
Squint Eye Symptoms
- The single eye or both eyes tends to point in different directions
- Any child can have a defective vision in single or both eyes
- The kids with squint eyes sometimes only close one eye during the time of bright sunlight
- A child may experience double vision or they can suffer from confusion in visualization.
- A few children can either turn or tilt their face and head in any particular direction for using their eyes together.
Squint Eye Treatment
The treatment must begin as early as possible for the best chances of improvement. The first step is the prescription of glasses. After the glasses have been worn, the doctor reassesses the disorder. In case of amblyopia, or lazy eye, the doctor will advise patching of the good eye according to an age-based schedule. Some pediatric ophthalmologists prefer to penalize the good eye with dilating drops. Both these techniques force the eye with a weaker vision to see better and have been proven to be effective in children, especially less than eight years of age.
Now, let us see the squint eye treatment in babies and adults in detail.
Treatment in babies
- Prescription of prims that are special eyeglasses with smaller deviations
- Eye exercise for strengthening the eye muscles or nerves
- If the case is severe, the eye doctor might suggest surgery or operation
- An optimal cosmetic surgery for better vision
Treatment in adults
- Eye muscle exercises
- Eyeglasses containing prisms
- Surgery of the eye muscles
- Using an injection in the eye muscles
What is Squint Eye Surgery?
Squint eye surgery also known as eye muscle surgery, extraocular muscle surgery, or eye alignment surgery is performed in the eyes to rectify squint eyes or strabismus. With more than a few million surgeries around the world every year, it is one of the most common types of eye surgery in the world.
The surgery is generally a 1-day procedure and the patients have to spend a few hours in the eye clinic with minimal post-operative preparations. The duration of the surgeries varies as it depends upon the severity. Once the surgery is done, the patients might experience redness and soreness in the eyes but this doesn’t last for a long time.
The ophthalmologist will give the eye patient a cover to protect the eyes that will prevent direct light from entering the eyes. A special eyeglass will be given to the patient and it is highly advisable that the patient must wear it at all times to stay from any discomfort that might cause due to the stimulus of the eyes.
Squint Eye Surgery Exercise
These are the best and most commonly used eye exercises and are advised by expert eye surgeons or ophthalmologists
PS: A few of the activities mentioned below are not exercises but they are must post-surgery
- Wearing eye-glasses
- Use contact lenses
- Patch the eye with a stronger vision
- Palming: You will be glad to know that palming your closed eye can relax the eye muscle and assist it in improving the flexibility of eye muscles. This must be done before going to sleep or after you have worked for long hours for better and best results.
- Pencil push-ups: Pencil push-ups are an excellent method of treatment for squinted eyes. It can be easily performed at home or any place with the assistance of a pencil or any object that has a pointed end. To perform this eye surgery exercise, you need to sit up straight and move your pencil outwards and inwards for some time to stay away from the rigidity in your eye muscles.
Myths Related to Squint
- It will go away on its own
- Not serious in children.
- It is just a cosmetic problem
- It is incurable
- Surgery will cause eye damage
- Will reoccur after surgery
- My kid is too young to undergo this surgery
Squint Eye Specialist
For detailed consultation, you can contact us at Abhinav Multispeciality Hospital. It is one of the most trusted and best hospitals in Nagpur. You can consult Dr. Bhakti Bhatnagar at Abhinav Multispeciality Hospital in Bajeria, Nagpur. Dr. Bhakti Bhatnagar is a popular Ophthalmologist in Bajeria, Nagpur. The hospital has the best medical facility in Nagpur. The doctor has been practicing Ophthalmology for over a decade. She is counted among the best ophthalmologist in Nagpur. The doctor is a qualified Post Graduate Diploma in Ophthalmology, DNB – Ophthalmology, FELLOW OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY.