Open your eyes to squint

Next to brain, eyes are the most complex organs we have. Composed of more than two million working parts eyes can process 36,000 bits of information every hour. When afflicted with squint eyes are unable to process all the information that it sees, because one eye keeps deviating, and brain tends to ignore information from the deviating eye.

Facts

Doctor Rajeev Mohan of Mohan Eye Institute explains, “ Squint is a deviation of eye from the normal position. Ideally eyes are parallel and they move in parallel direction. With squint both the eyes will not be looking in the same direction.” He adds, “Squint incidences are not uncommon.” It may not be apparent all the time, only when the patient is tired, unwell or focusing on a close object.

Causes

Eye muscles control eye movements. If one muscle is stronger, the eye turns towards the stronger muscle.

· Squint may run in families.

· Any ill health or debilitating disease may precipitate squint.

· Children may be long sighted and the effect of focusing leads to the squint. Glasses can correct this problem.

· Very occasionally a child will develop a squint because an eye is abnormal and has defective sight. The earlier this is detected the sooner treatment can be started.

Effects

If the child squints with one eye, the vision in that eye will become lazy as the brain ignores information from the deviating eye. Improvement in lazy eye can take place till eight years of age.

The child will lose binocular vision (ability to use the two eyes together)

Squint is detrimental to the appearance of the child.

Treatment Options

· Spectacles

· Eye exercises

· Surgery

Dr. Rajeev Mohan clarifies certain misnomers surrounding surgery. Squint surgery is a simple procedure, and does not affect vision. In this surgery, eye muscles are adjusted to straighten the eye.

The eye specialist is the best judge and will advise you the correct treatment. The earlier the treatment, the better the results. If left untreated it may lead to permanent loss of vision in that eye.

Need for treatment

Treatment of squint should be as early as possible. Children never outgrow squint. It should be corrected as early as possible.

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