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Don’t Be in the Dark About Squint. Read More About it!

By Medical Expert Team

Nov 13 , 2020 | 2 min read

What is Squint?

A squint, or strabismus, is a condition in which the eyes do not align properly. Normally, both your eyes should move & focus in the same direction and on the same object. In a person affected by a squint, however, one eye may turn upwards, inwards, outwards or downwards, while the other eye focuses on one spot.

In a squint-affected person, each eye sends a different image to the brain as the eyes are not aligned. As a result, objects may appear blurry or double (double vision). Squint eye can be treated and cured by a medical professional.

Is it dangerous?

While squint is not dangerous in itself, it can lead to further complications if left untreated. If a child has squint they should consult an eye surgeon. If the child’s squinting eye is not used in favour of the healthy one, then the deviating eye becomes inactive and lazy, leading to a disorder known as lazy eye (amblyopia).

Squint can be treated by several methods depending on the cause of this. The main methods of treatment are spectacles, eye muscle exercises, prism eyeglasses, and eye muscle surgery.

1. Spectacles: If the reason of squint is Refractive error especially plus numbers, then giving glasses to a child may correct an accommodative squint.

2. Eye Muscle Exercises

Eye muscle exercises are the simplest of the above and very successful when used in treating exophoria or convergence insufficiency in children. These exercises consist of practising coordinated movement and inward focusing of the eyes. Over time and with sufficient practice, these exercises can help you focus on nearby objects.

3. Glasses with Prisms

Glasses with prisms can help double vision – a side effect of mild squint – in adults. The prism gently bends the rays of light that enter the eye so that the eyes see only one image instead of a disorienting two. However, prism eyeglasses cannot correct severe double vision in which the images seen are very far apart from each other.

4. Eye Muscle Surgery

Eye muscle surgery is the most common squint eye treatment. Typically, squint happens when the muscles surrounding an eye are either too strong or too weak. This disparity results in the ‘misalignment’ of the eyes. Using corrective surgery, an eye surgeon can surgically tighten or loosen certain eye muscles. In this manner, the eyes can be rebalanced to work in tandem. This is a Day Care Surgery and patient goes back home on same day. Complete recovery of eyes takes few weeks.

In conclusion, Regardless of the severity of your squint, it is advisable to speak to a medical professional in order to discover the correct steps that you should take for treatment.