Why should strabismus be treated?
Both eyes must be able to look at a target at the same time in order to enable three-dimensional vision. Only then do the images from both eyes merge into a complete visual impression – including depth and perspective. However, if you squint, your eye will deviate from the visual axis. This is how strabismus comes about double vision. The brains of affected children can hide the double vision. But: If left untreated, the ability to see in the hidden eye can be lost.
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Causes of Squinting
- Strabismus in adults: In adulthood, initially compensated squinting can turn into manifest squinting. However, if the squint occurs suddenly, it is always one Emergency! The sudden paralysis of the eye muscles can be caused, for example, by a stroke, a circulatory disorder or an inflammation. If one or more muscles in the eye fail, one speaks of paralytic strabismus, which often occurs suddenly. For example, paralytic squinting can occur as a result of an accident. Sometimes this form of strabismus is also congenital. In addition to various eye diseases and neurological disorders, diseases of the orbit can also cause squinting in adults.
- Strabismus in children: In children, squinting is usually congenital. If a child is farsighted, it can appear as so-called accompanying squinting. However: Children can also be affected by sudden paralytic strabismus, for example as a result of an injury.
What do you do against squinting?
To treat strabismus, there is different options for therapy. An ophthalmologist makes the diagnosis and can initiate appropriate treatment to get the squinting eyes under control.
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Treatment with occlusion therapy
Occlusion therapy, also known as eye patch therapy, is often used in children with visual impairments, such as squinting. One eye is alternately taped shut with a plaster in order to train the other eye.
Eye drops against strabismus
Ophthalmologists sometimes treat strabismus with eye drops. The technical term for this procedure is penalization. The eye drops are instilled into the healthy eye in order to prevent it from seeing and to correct the guiding behavior of the eyes.
Treatment with prism glasses
Slight misalignments can be treated and compensated for with special prism glasses. It is often used in patients with latent strabismus.
Eliminate strabismus with surgery (OP).
If you suffer from severe squinting, you should consider an operation. Specialists take care of the causative eye muscles during the surgical correction: the surgeon lengthens, shortens, splits or moves the corresponding muscles in the eye.
What happens if you don’t treat strabismus?
If you simply ignore squinting, for example in children, you risk long-term damage. Without adequate treatment, squinting can lead to poor eyesight. Permanent loss of vision is also possible.