SQUINT (Misalignment of Eyes) Blog By Dr. Rajesh Khanna


Squint is misalignment of the eyes such that the right and left eyes are pointed in different directions. It is common among younger population. Up to 3 percent of pediatric population younger than age six has squint or misalignment of visual axis. Of these children, as many as 40% subsequently develop lazy eye (amblyopia). Lazy eye is now the leading cause of monocular (one eye) vision loss in people between the ages of 20 and 70 years. Fortunately, pediatric vision screening can reduce the incidence of vision loss related to amblyopia.

Signs and symptoms -
Eyes are not straight. Face turn or head tilt may be present. Sometimes double vision or confusion may occur.

Treatment  -
Parents often have a ‘myth’ that a child may ‘outgrow’ the problem.
A child with squint must be seen by an eye specialist as early as possible.
Goals of treatment are to preserve vision, straighten the eyes, and to restore binocular vision (means better vision with both eyes straight).

Treatment can be spectacles (non-surgical) and/ or surgery.
Certain squints can be fully corrected by prescribing glasses only.

Surgery is done to realign the eyes making them straight. This helps in developing binocular vision. Even after surgery, child has to use glasses regularly to maintain clarity of vision and to keep the eyes straight. Sometimes, patching therapy may be needed to be continued for some time after surgery.

Therefore, regular follow ups are needed with eye specialist both before and after surgery.

Article Topic : SQUINT (Misalignment of Eyes)
Article Compiled By : Dr . Rajesh Khanna

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