Strabismus

Vision

Facts About Strabismus

Strabismus has the common name of crossed eyes or lazy eye. This condition is due to an improper alignment of the eyes that prohibits both eyes from focusing on the same point at the same time. One of the eyes often has a shortened or elongated muscle that controls eye movement.

Strabismus Challenges

If this condition is not treated, the brain will begin to ignore the input from the misaligned eye and vision loss can occur.

Strabismus Treatment

In some cases, eyeglasses can align the eyes. Commonly, the child wears a patch over the stronger eye to allow the weaker eye to develop fully. Surgery can realign the eyes if neither of these methods is successful. In surgery, an optometrist attempts to realign the weaker eye by adjusting the length of the affected eye muscle. This treatment is often very effective.
This disorder can be present at birth or it can develop later in life. Early treatment is best for children with strabismus.