How Your Optometrist Can Help with Strabismus
Strabismus, commonly called "crossed eyes," occurs when the eyes are misaligned. The condition is more than just a cosmetic issue. Misalignments can affect vision, depth perception, and quality of life. Optometrists offer treatments that realign the eyes and improve or correct vision problems.
About Strabismus
Strabismus affects about 4% of people in the U.S., according to the American Academy for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS). Strabismus is often diagnosed during childhood, but subtle cases can be overlooked, resulting in lifelong vision issues.
The condition is often caused by issues with the muscles that control the eyes. However, damaged or weak eye muscles aren't the only cause of strabismus. The condition can also happen if the nerves that control the eye muscles are weak or the brain struggles to coordinate eye movements.
Misalignments range from mild to severe and depend on the type of misalignment. For example, one eye may be higher than the other, or one eye may turn too far to the side.
Although most adults and children with strabismus don't have other health or vision conditions, some conditions can increase a person's risk for strabismus. According to the AAPOS, children who have brain tumors, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, or Down syndrome may be more likely to develop strabismus. Graves disease, stroke, neurological conditions, and trauma can be factors in strabismus development during adulthood.
Other risk factors include a family history of strabismus or uncorrected hyperopia (farsightedness) or myopia (nearsightedness).
Strabismus Symptoms
Misaligned eyes send slightly different information to the brain, which struggles to combine the signals into a single, clear image.
Common strabismus symptoms include:
- Double Vision
- Blinking, Squinting, Closing One Eye, or Tilting the Head to See Better
- Poor Depth Perception
- Eye Strain
- A Feeling That Something Is Pulling on Your Eye
- Fatigue When Reading
- Noticeable Eye Movement Issues
According to the American Optometric Association, these symptoms can happen constantly or may only occur when you're tired. If strabismus isn't treated promptly, amblyopia can occur. Amblyopia, or lazy eye, happens when the brain ignores information from one eye.
Strabismus Treatment Options
Your optometrist offers several treatments that can correct or improve eye alignment, including:
- Prescription Glasses and Contact Lenses. Correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism reduces strain on the eye muscles, which can be helpful for minor alignment issues.
- Prism Lenses. Prism lenses alter the way light enters the eye and focuses light rays directly on the retina. The lenses eliminate double vision by making it easier for the brain to combine the information from each eye.
- Eye Exercises or Vision Therapy. Your eye doctor can recommend exercises you can do at home that may improve eye movement coordination. You might also be referred to a vision therapist who can help you improve your visual skills with a variety of exercises, activities and aids.
- Botox. Injecting the eye muscles with Botox (botulinum toxin) offers another approach to improving eye alignment. Botox results may last a few months or might be permanent, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
- Surgery. If your misalignment is severe or strabismus symptoms don't improve with other methods, surgery can be an option. During surgery, eye muscles are adjusted to improve eye alignment.
Can Strabismus Treatments Help Adults?
Both adults and children can benefit from strabismus treatment. The same treatments that improve strabismus in children can also help adults. In fact, it's never too late to talk to your optometrist about your strabismus treatment options.
Tired of struggling with double vision and other strabismus symptoms? Your optometrist could help you stop seeing double and reduce eye strain and fatigue. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the eye doctor.
Sources:
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus: Strabismus
https://aapos.org/glossary/strabismus
American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Is Adult Strabismus?, 9/9/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-strabismus
American Optometric Association: Strabismus (crossed eyes)
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/strabismus