Strabismus, also called a “crossed eye”, is a condition in which the eyes are misaligned.  Eye position is controlled by six muscles, called extraocular muscles, which surround the eye.  Strabismus is most often caused by an eye muscle imbalance rather than a "weak" eye muscle.  While one eye gazes straight ahead, the other may point inward, outward, up, down or be rotated either inward or outward (torsion.) Eye misalinment may cause double vision.  Strabismus occurs commonly in early childhood, or develops in young children, though it may develop in adulthood as well. Strabismus can be very successfully treated in patients of ANY age!

Strabismus symptoms may include:

• Eyes pointing in different directions.
• Decreased depth perception.
• Double vision, particularly in adults.

Strabismus is often visually evident (by the misalignment of the eyes), and sometimes is noticed by a parent before diagnosed by a physician.  Some types, however, are very difficult to identify.  There are also cases of pseudostrabismus, in which an infant or toddler appears to have inwardly-crossing eyes, but is actually exhibiting incomplete facial development; this requires no treatment, and remedies itself with further growth.  If true strabismus goes untreated in children, it can often cause amblyopia (lazy eye) to develop. Amblyopia is a condition in which the brain ignores images coming from the poorer seeing eye. This interferes with the development of the visual cortex of the brain and can lead to poor vsion and even legal blindness (see section on Amblyopia.)

For this reason, all children should be checked by a physician for strabismus by age three or four.  Children with a family history of the condition should be examined even earlier and possibly more often.

Treatment:

Corrective lenses are a common initial treatment and sometimes glasses alone will be effective for some types of strabismus.  Surgery however, is required to correct strabismus.  Surgery involves adjusting the extraocular muscles in one or both eyes so that the eyes point in the same direction, allowing the brain to use the two eyes together and develop depth perception.  Strabismus surgery is generally a safe and common outpatient procedure.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of strabismus, we encourage you to contact us today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bartiss.