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 Squint and Amblyopia:
 What is squint?
Squint is a misalignment of the eyes where the two eyes are pointed in different directions. It affects 4% of children and, it can also appear later in life. The misalignment may be permanent and always noticeable or it may be temporary and can occur only on occasions (Intermittent Squint). Deviation can be in any directions, that is, inward, outward, upward or downward.
In majority of cases the squint presents alternately in either eye, while in some cases it always presents only in one eye and if eft untreated it leads to permanent visual loss condition called amblyopia or lazy eye.
Amblyopia or lazy eye:
Ambyopia means reduced vision in a structurally norma eye. The eyes are designed to focus images clearly on the retina and then to relay that image to the brain. If both eyes are lined up on the same target, the visual portion of the brain can fuse the two pictures into a single 3-dimensional image.
When one eye turns as in squint, two different pictures are sent to the brain. In a young child, the brain learns to ignore the image of the misaligned eye and see only the image from the straight or better seeing eye. This causes reduced vision and allows amblyopia to set in.
Amblyopia occurs in approximately one-half of children with squint. Ambyopia often can be reversed by patching the better eye in order to strengthen and improve the vision of the weaker one, if amblyopia is detected in early childhood. If amblyopia is not treated early, reduced vision generally becomes permanent.
Causes:
Squint is caused by misaligned eye muscles. However, the exact reason for the misalignment of the eyes leading to squint is not fully understood. It is known that squint may run in families.
Symptoms:
The primary symptom of squints an eye that is not straight. Sometimes a youngster with squint will close one eye in bright sunlight. Some Children turn or tilt their heads in a specific direction in order to use their eyes together.
Treatment:
Parents often get the false impression that a child may “outgrow” the problem. If a chid has even a mild squint, a check-up by an eye specialist is necessary to determine the cause and to begin treatment.
The goals of treatment are to preserve vision, restore binocular vision and straighten the eyes, and treatment of squint depends upon the exact cause of the misaligned eyes. It can be directed towards unbalanced muscles or other conditions which are causing the eye to turn. After a complete eye examination, including a detailed study of the inner parts of the eye, an Ophthalmologist can recommend appropriate optical, medica or surgical treatment. Covering or patching the good eye to force use of the amblyopic eye may be necessary to ensure equal vision. |
