Squint (Cross Eyes Correction)

What is Squint?
Squint is also known as Strabismus and in laymen’s terminology defined as Cross Eyes or Misalignment of Eye Muscles. This misalignment means the line of sight of both the eyes is not similar and it can lead to poor vision, absent depth perception, loss of 3 D vision, difficulty to focus in one direction and pain in ocular muscles as well.

Now, Squint can basically happen at any point of life but it is generally observed to happen more in Children. Experts say that this can have multiple reasons to arise, like maybe due to an incorrect balance of muscles, or refractive error, childhood illness, nerve palsy, etc.

In adults, it appears in either of the two conditions, one where they had an undetected strabismus since childhood or the other where an individual might have suffered a head trauma or stroke, brain tumor, thyroid eye diseases or any such neurological and/or eye conditions.

There are two phenomena in Squint, where in if the individual’s eyes are turning inwards (towards the nose), it is known as Esotropia; whereas, if they are turning outwards (away from the nose), it is called as Exotropia. When one of your eyes turn upwards or downwards, it is called Hypertropia or Hypotropia respectively.

Depending upon the type, severity and response to treatment, squint eyes can be corrected by Eye Exercises, Prism Glasses or Squint Surgery (Eye Muscle Surgery).

What is Squint Surgery?
In a squint surgery, a doctor (squint surgery specialist) usually adjusts the position of the eyes by moving the muscles on the outside of the eyeball without removing the eye. Generally, this surgery is done by adjustment of two muscles, one of which is strengthened and the another one is weakened. But it is completely based on the analysis and reports, whether to operate on one eye or both and surgeon discusses the same with the individual or parents at the time of consent.

Sometimes in certain cases, surgery is carried out in 2 stages when adjustable stitches are to be applied to give more predictable/ accurate results. In the first stage, the eyeballs are made to come in position with the help of stitches and in the second stage, the stitches are adjusted as per requirements. In most case realignment is not required.

A successful eye surgery can correct alignment of the eyes, improves stereopsis and depth perception, treat double vision issues, reduce fatigue in eyes, expand viewing angle over and above superb COSMETIC correction!! Most of all it improves the social, personal and professional life of the patient.