There are six muscles in the eye that control the movement of the eye. Under normal circumstances, these muscles point in the same direction and work together. However, there are problems with controlling the eye movement in the condition of strabismus. Also, it is a key feature in people with strabismus that they cannot keep an aligned eye position or ocular alignment.
Following are some questions that may help one determine the causes and treatment of strabismus:
- Has the problem arrived suddenly, or has it developed over time?
- Did the problem occur in the first six months of life, or did it occur later on?
- Does the medical condition switch between the eyes or always occur in the same eye?
- Is the cross-alignment always present, or only during a certain period of time?
- Is there any history of strabismus in the family?
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF STRABISMUS?
Doctors categorize strabismus into different categories depending on the direction of the misaligned eye:
- Esotropia – the eye that turns inward
- Exotropia – the eye that turns outward
- Hypertropia – the eye that turns upward
- Hypotropia – the eye that turns downward
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF STRABISMUS?
Most conditions of strabismus can be attributed to the abnormality of the neuromuscular control of the eye. In rare cases, there may be a problem with the eye muscle. Other causes of strabismus are as follows:
- Refractive errors that are uncorrected
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome
- Poor vision in a single eye
- Stroke
- Problems with the nervous system
- Head injuries that cause issues in areas of the brain that control eye movement etc.
WHEN DOES STRABISMUS SHOWS ITS APPEARANCE?
By the time a child is 3 to 4 months old, his eyes should be straight and aligned and should be able to focus on small objects. By the time a child is about 6 months old, he should be able to focus on objects that are both near or far.
Strabismus is extremely common in infants and young children. Proper signs of strabismus start showing up by the time a child is three year old. A sudden appearance of the condition in adults may indicate a deeper issue like a neurological disorder. If this happens, contact your doctor immediately,
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT OF STRABISMUS?
Strabismus can be treated easily with the help of the following ways:
- People who have uncorrected refractive eye lenses are suggested eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- A form of exotropia can be corrected with the help of some eye exercises or orthoptics.
- A lot of people are suggested to make use of eye drops and other ointments. These treatments are used a lot of times, in the place of surgery.
- Surgery can also be performed in order to treat strabismus. The length or position of the eye muscles are changed so that the eyes can be aligned correctly.
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