Strabismus: Cross-eye, Walleye, and Lazy Eye

Before my brother's second son turned two, he and his wife were told by a doctor that their boy suffers from one type of strabismus. Upon the recommendation of an ophthalmologist, they agreed to have their baby boy undergo surgery to have the condition corrected. The surgery was performed within a year from the time the condition was discovered, and the result was a complete success. That baby boy (my nephew) recently turned 20.

For those who do not know what strabismus is, it is actually the technical term for squint, a condition that is considered one of the most common problems affecting children's eyes. In seeing correctly, the two eyes must be properly aligned and should always be directed to the same object. This, however, isn't the case when a child has strabismus; one of his eyes may look at one thing while his other eye focuses on another object. Consequently, the eyes transmit indistinct messages that confuse the brain. The brain then has to make a choice as to what was really seen, eventually disregarding anything or everything that one of the eyes sees while picking up the object that the other eye is focused on.

Cross-eye, or inward squint (technical term: esotropia), is the most common type of strabismus. In this condition, one of the eyes looks forward while the other eye turns inward toward the nose. Another type of strabismus is called walleye, or divergent squint (technical term: exotropia). Unlike in cross-eye, the deviating eye in walleye turns outward away from the nose.

Whether it is a case of cross-eye or walleye, strabismus needs to be corrected at once. Failing this may result to one of the eyes developing a third condition which is also directly related to strabismus. Known as lazy eye (technical term: amblyopia), this third condition is characterized by dimness of sight in one eye sans evident change in the eye structures. When a child's eyes are unevenly developed - as in the case of one eye having faulty refraction - and the condition has not been corrected, the child will favor using the other eye that is functioning normally. This will result to the other eye becoming virtually inactive, hence the term lazy eye. Eventually, this "unused" eye will become weak and will fail in seeing things clearly.

In almost all cases, strabismus may be corrected if surgery is performed at an early age, preferably within the first year of life. Doctors may also recommend vision therapy wherein the child carries out certain tasks aimed at developing visual skills and exercising the eyes' muscles to develop proper coordination. This is especially helpful for cases of lazy eye to save the weak eye from completely losing its power of seeing. There are likewise corrective patches and lenses or glasses that doctors may recommend, but these must be used at an early age as well so that the child can gain full benefit from them. [Read the Original Article]