Squint: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

What is Squint?

Squint is a misalignment of the eye where the two eyes are pointed towards different directions. The misalignment may be constant for a few, while it may be intermittently occurring for some others. The deviation of the eye may be in any direction – inward, outward, upward or downward. If the child is not treated at the appropriate time, a condition called Amblyopia (lazy eyes ) occurs, which eventually leads to permanent loss of vision.

Causes of Squint

• Heredity
• Weakness of the eye muscles or problem with the nerves in the eye muscles
• Your vision can be seriously affected due to cataract, glaucoma, corneal scars, optic nerve disease, refractive errors, tumors of the eye, retinal disease etc.
• Injuries

Symptoms of Squint

• One eye or both eyes point to different directions
• Children can have defective vision in one eye or both eyes
• Children with squint, sometimes close one eye in bright sunlight
• Children sometimes experience double vision or confusion in visualization. Some children tilt or turn their head and face in a particular direction for using their eyes together.

Squint Treatment

• Squint due to refractive errors are corrected by prescribing suitable spectacles. Amblyopia treated with occlusion therapy.

Surgical Treatment

• Children are treated based upon the improvement in vision by spectacles correction and patching therapy. It may require to continue with the glasses to maintain clarity of vision.
• In this surgery, the muscles are detached from their original insertion and shifted to a different spot. The amount of shift is based on the measurement done with special prisms.
• Stay in the hospital is only for a day.
• Children are treated based upon the improvement in vision by spectacles correction and patching therapy. It may require to continue with the glasses to maintain clarity of vision. After a surgery, patching therapy may be continued for some time. If squint is treated as early as possible, (preferably before 2 years of age), loss if vision can be prevented in children.
• Squint is not a sign of good luck. It affects your child’s vision and appearance.
• As the child grows older, it becomes more difficult to treat squint and regain the lost vision. However, cosmetically straightening the eye is possible at any age.