What is Strabismus?
Strabismus is a medical condition in which the eyes are not aligned. Strabismus includes inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia), upward (hypertropia) and downward (hypotropia) deviations. The misalignment of the eyes can be constant or intermittent. Strabismus can be present since birth or acquired later in life as a result of a need for glasses, secondary to cranial nerve defect, systemic disease, trauma or lesion in the brain. Adults who acquire strabismus can have associated cardiovascular, endocrine or autoimmune disease.
Some children have accommodative esotropia, which is an inward eye turn that is fully or partially corrected with glasses. These children generally do not require surgical intervention. Children who have strabismus that is not corrected with glasses can require surgery to realign the eyes. Alignment of the eyes is critical for fusion (avoiding double vision) and stereoacuity (3D vision or depth perception). Strabismus often causes amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye". If amblyopia and strabismus are present, patching therapy may be initiated to strengthen the vision of the weaker eye. |