You want the best for your child’s vision, whether it’s taking them for a routine eye exam or adding glasses to their wardrobe. But, what do you do when you notice that your child might have “lazy eye”?

What is Strabismus?

Strabismus, also know as “lazy eye”, is a condition that causes the eyes to not point in the same direction at the same time. This can be due to an imbalance in the muscles of each eye or a miscommunication between the eyes.

When the eye turns, as in Strabismus, the brain receives two different pictures causing double vision. In order to decrease or eliminate the amount of double vision, a person’s brain will pick the eye that gives the clearest picture with the least amount of effort. This means that the brain will begin to ignore the turned eye and this causes the visual development of that eye to be stunted, which can result in permanent blurry vision in that eye.

If the brain does not ignore the weaker eye then it tries to make them work together and this is when double vision occurs. The eye turn may also cause eyestrain and headaches. When the eyes are not working together this can also cause a decrease in depth perception or 3D vision.

How Do You Know if Your Child has Strabismus?

The symptoms of Strabismus range from double vision, eyestrain, headaches and, what your child will likely notice most, the inability to enjoy 3D games or movies. Unfortunately, this can also lead to bumping into walls or corners when walking.

If you are suspicious of your child having an eye turn, then you should first closely observe how often it is happening, how long it has been going on for, which eye is turned and in which direction. These things are all important to tell your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

How is Strabismus Treated?

Treatment for Strabismus depends on how long the eye turn has been present and the severity of it. Not all cases require surgery and in some instances, all your child needs is a pair of glasses!

In cases where surgery is required, the surgeon will prefer for your child to patch their non-treated eye prior to surgery in order to allow vision to develop. In most cases, Strabismus is easy to correct or treat. It is important, however, to get your child’s vision checked if you notice anything abnormal. The longer an eye turn goes without proper evaluation, the harder it is to repair.

At Clarke EyeCare Center, Dr. Elizabeth Clarke and Dr. Anna James specialize in evaluating for the presence of Strabismus. In cases where surgery is not needed, we can handle treating the condition with glasses and sometimes the patching of the eye. If surgery is needed, the doctors at Clarke EyeCare Center will help refer you to a Strabismus surgeon.