Table of contents:
- Squint eyes are caused by genetic factors from parents
- Crossed eyes mean to have double vision? Not always
- Squints can be treated
Squint aka strabismus is a condition in which the position of the two eyes is not parallel, which causes the person's gaze not to be fixed on one object at the same time. One side of the eye may turn outward, inward, upward, or downward as if it was distracted to look the other way. In most cases, the two eyes will turn upside down in turn. Familiar with this condition?
Squint eyes are caused by genetic factors from parents
Squints usually occur in people who have weak eye muscle control or who have severe farsightedness. In most cases, there is no definite cause for this eye condition. Squints can occur all the time or only at certain times, such as when under stress, after reading a lot, or as a result of an underlying illness. Apart from daily activities, crossed eyes that have just emerged in adulthood can be an early sign of a stroke.
Some people are born with naturally misaligned eyes. This is known as a congenital squint. Crossed eyes usually develop in infants and children, most often starting at the age of three, but it is not uncommon for adolescents and adults to develop this condition at some point in their life.
Some babies' eyes may appear lopsided, but in fact they are staring in the same direction. This condition is known as pseudostrabismus, aka fake squints. The appearance of this condition in babies may be the result of an additional layer of skin covering the inner corner of the eye or the proportion of the baby's nose bridge.
In some cases, the misalignment of the eyes is the result of disorders of the nervous system, especially the nervous system that controls the eye muscles which may be caused by a tumor or genetic disorder.
However, don't underestimate your crossed eyes. Indeed, the appearance of squinted eyes in babies will disappear on its own as the facial shape develops - however, if the condition doesn't improve, squints can continue into adulthood if left untreated. The doctor should check every child who is 4 months old or older if the cross-eyed condition has not changed at all.
Untreated squint condition can result in permanent poor vision on the affected side of the eye. This condition is called amblyopia, aka lazy eye.
Crossed eyes mean to have double vision? Not always
In each eye there are six muscles that function to control eye movement. These muscles receive signals from the brain directing which direction the eyeball should move.
In a normal eye, both eyes work together so that they both point to the same object. When there is a problem with eye movement control, the brain will receive two different images. Initially, this will create double vision and confusion. When this misalignment of eyes first occurs in adolescence or adulthood, the person may turn their head in an unusual way to look in certain directions and avoid double vision.
However, the child's brain has enough monocular clues to understand which object is in front of another object. This is evident when you are watching a typical movie on a flat screen, where you will have no problem distinguishing the three-dimensional structure. Over time, his brain will learn to ignore the image projected from the side of his eye that is upside down and create a blind spot in front of one eye, so that he will see each object only once. However, this adaptive capacity disappears with age. If a person has crossed eyes since childhood and is not treated as soon as possible, the ability of the eye to see three dimensions (stereopsis) cannot develop.
In fact, then, there is no real confusion and disability suffered by the owner of the squint, except for special tasks that require extra concentration on vision.
Squints can be treated
Cross-eyed can have a negative psychological impact and affect a person's self-confidence, because this condition interferes with normal eye contact communication with the other person, causing embarrassment and awkwardness when interacting with other people.
To treat crossed eyes, you must first consult an ophthalmologist. Non-surgical treatment may be recommended for the early stages of therapy, aiming to ensure that the inverted eye does not develop into amblyopic (lazy eye). If this tendency is present in your condition, the doctor will prescribe special glasses to "force" the performance of the lazy eye (with an eye patch or other method) until harmonious eye vision is achieved. In cases of crossed eyes caused by chronic farsightedness, these glasses can treat the condition until it is cured without having to undergo eye muscle surgery.
The main goal of vision therapy (including wearing glasses) is to ensure that the lazy eye receives visual exercise before the child reaches the age of eight or older, or before permanent vision loss occurs.
A surgical procedure to correct a squint is performed to strengthen or weaken the influence of one or more of the eye muscles. Ideally, this procedure is done in childhood if your child is diagnosed with a crossed eye. If this was done as an adult, you will have to undergo the procedure under local anesthesia (the eye will feel numb, but you will remain aware of your surroundings).
Muscle strengthening means removing a small part of one of the nerve endings and then putting it back in the same location. This will shorten the eye muscles, which will draw the eye toward the side of the muscle. Muscle relaxation is performed to move the muscles back or make small incisions in the muscles. This will have an impact on muscle weakness, allowing the crossed eye to move away from the side of the muscle.
