What is Squint/Strabismus ?
A squint, also called “strabismus” is a condition wherein both the eyes are unable to align properly. One eye turns inside, upside, downwards, or outwards, while the other one focuses on one point. It can happen every time or at regular intervals as well. This takes place because the muscles that control the movement of the eye and the eyelid (called the extraocular muscles) are not working together.
As a result, both eyes fail to focus at the same spot at the same time. Therefore, surgery is recommended to correct the squint.
Types of Squint
Squint can be categorized based on the direction in which the eye moves
Symptoms of Squint
Eye Fatigue
Double vision
Overlapped or blurred images
A pulling sensation around the eyes
Reading difficulty
Loss of depth perception
Causes of Squint
There are no concrete causes for squint. Yet, a minor portion of the squint cases can be attributed to the following causes
Hereditary
Refractive errors
Poor vision in one eye
Cerebral Plasy
Hydrocephalus
Brain Tumors
Stroke
Head injuries
Neurological problems
Graves’ disease
Infections.
Long Sightedness
Squint Treatment Options
Eyeglasses or contact lenses
These are used by people with uncorrected refractive errors. With remedial lenses, the eyes will not have to put that much effort into focusing and can stay straight.
Prism lenses
These are the special lenses that help the light to bend and enter the eye and further help in reducing the amount of turning the eye one must do to look at objects
Orthoptics ( Squint eye exercises)
It may work on some types of strabismus, especially convergence insufficiency (a form of Exotropia)
Medications
Eye drops or ointments. Also, injections of botulinum toxin type A (such as Botox) can weaken an overactive eye muscle. These treatments in Delhi may be used with, or as a substitute for surgery, depending on the patient’s situation
Patching
To treat amblyopia (lazy eye), when the patient is suffering from both amblyopia and strabismus at the same time. The improvement of vision also can control the misalignment of the eye.
Eye muscle surgery
Surgery changes the length or size of eye muscles so that the eyes are aligned properly. This is performed under general anesthesia with stitches that get dissolved with time. Sometimes adults are provided with adjustable strabismus surgery, where the eye muscle positions are adjusted after surgery in Delhi.
Benefits of Squint Eye Treatment
Restored Vision
Boosted Confidence
Better Eye Coordination
Reduced Eye Strain
Preventing Future Issues
Squint Treatment Exercises
Pencil Push-Ups
Pencil push-ups are simple workouts for ocular progress that get both eyes directed at the same fixed point. Hold a pencil out at arm’s length, pointing away from you. Focus your sight on the eraser or a letter/numeral on the side. Slowly bring the pencil closer toward the bridge of the nose. Keep it in focus for as long as you can, but you need to stop once your vision gets blurry.
Brock String
You need to have a 5 feet long string with three different coloured beads. Secure one end of the string to a fixed point such as a handrail or at the back of a chair. Space the beads out at equal distances. Keep holding the other end of the string firmly to your nose. You should be noticing a consistent pattern as you shift your focus from bead to bead. The bead you are looking at will appear by itself at the convergence of two identical strings with doubles of the other beads, forming an X. Your eyes are not properly focused on the bead if you see the strings crossing in front of the bead or in the back of the bead. Make sure that you are getting the X at all beads (except the one at the far end, which will just have the two strings coming out toward you in a V).
Barrel Cards
This is a handy exercise for Exotropia. Draw three red barrels of increasing length on one side of a card. Repeat the same thing in green on the other side.
Hold the card lengthwise and vertically against your nose in such a way that the largest barrel is farthest away. Stare at the far away barrel until it becomes one image with both colours and the other two barrel images have doubled. Maintain your gaze for about five seconds. Then do the same with the middle and smallest barrel images.