Strabismus is a defect in the parallelism of the visual axes.
Strabismus is named according to the direction of deviation of the visual axes: convergent, divergent or vertical.
Strabismus in children (a child who “crosses his eyes”) is overwhelmingly a convergent strabismus appearing from birth to the age of 5 or 6 years.
Divergent strabismus often appears later (between 6 and 10 years).
Strabismus disrupts vision and its development.
In normal vision the eyes are straight when they fixate on the same point and thus the brain can transform the two images into a single three-dimensional one.
In strabismus there is deviation of one eye (either inwards: convergent strabismus, or outwards: divergent strabismus), 2 different images are therefore transmitted to the brain, the patient sees double or neutralizes (suppresses the image perceived by the deviated eye).
In young children, due to this early neutralization, the brain suppresses the 2nd image, which leads to a loss of vision in this deviated eye and therefore amblyopia (the eye becomes lazy), which is important to detect early in order to begin possible rehabilitation treatment.
Accommodative convergent strabismus: particularly affects hyperopic children aged 2 years and older.
A child has a significant accommodation capacity which can cause him to "squint". In this case, glasses can reduce this accommodation effort and thus allow the eyes to straighten.
Divergent strabismus is later:
It occurs when the person is tired, those around them notice an eye that deviates outwards, which can sometimes cause double vision.
Treatments:
- First of all, do an examination under Skiacol (especially for children) to determine whether or not corrective lenses are needed.
- Then an Orthoptic Assessment carried out by an orthoptist will qualify and quantify this deviation and its repercussions on vision.
- We can then undertake prevention or, if necessary, rehabilitation of amblyopia, which will consist of hiding the healthy eye in order to make the so-called "lazy" eye work; sometimes sectors (opaque bands on the periphery of the glasses lenses) are indicated.
- Orthoptic rehabilitation can help compensate for certain types of strabismus (intermittent strabismus).
- The installation of prisms to eliminate double vision in certain cases.
- Surgery.
