Crossed Eyes Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Crossed eyes, or in the medical world it is called strabismus, is a condition when the position of the eyes is not in a balanced or parallel position between the left eye and the right eye.
One eye can see straight while the other eye looks in another direction, can be inward, outward, up, or down.
This eye disorder is quite common in children. Most cases are descended from parents. For others, there is no history of crossed eyes at all in the family’s health lineage.
Judging from the shift in the direction of the eyes, strabismus is divided into several types, namely:
- Esotropia, namely crossed eyes that shift inward
- Exotropia, namely crossed eyes that shift outwards
- Hypertropia, which is a squint that shifts upwards
- Hypotropia, which is a squint that shifts downward
Symptom
Crossed eyes are easily recognized by the difference in position and direction of view between the right and left eyes.
Some children with crossed eyes have to squint one eye when looking in the light or tilt their head back to see an object clearly.
The following are other symptoms that can be experienced by people with crossed eyes, namely:
- The eyes look out of alignment
- Both eyes do not move simultaneously
- Tilt the head when looking at something
- Frequent blinking or squinting, especially in sunlight
- A feeling of tension in the eyes
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Decreased perception or estimate of the distance
- Double vision
However, double vision does not apply to children. This is because the two images recorded by the eye and sent to the child’s brain will be ignored by the brain.
The brain will select an image from one eye, usually from the healthy eye. This is dangerous because it can cause the vision ability of one eye to drop. This condition is called amblyopia, aka lazy eye.
Reason
It is not clear what causes squint. However, there are several risk factors for squint, namely:
1. In Children
To be able to see focus and clearly, the two eyes require the synergistic work of the visual muscles. If one of these muscles is weak or disturbed, the focus of view will be affected.
In children, because from the start there are two focuses of view, the brain adapts to only paying attention to the gaze from straight eyes. While the view from the eye that is experiencing focus disorders is ignored.
Crossed eyes in children are more common in the following conditions:
- Cerebral palsy
- Down’s syndrome
- Hydrocephalus
- Brain tumor
- Premature
- Retinoblastoma Cancer
- Measles disease, with poor general health condition
2. In Adults
It is different if crossed eyes occur as adults. The brain that is used to synergizing two eyes with the same focus becomes confused.
Often these two perceptions of view result in double vision which is very disturbing to the sufferer.
Crossed eyes that can occur as adults, among others, are caused by:
- Tumor
- Thyroid disease (Grave’s disease)
- Strokes
- Brain injury
- Eye injury
- Diabetes
- Botulism
- Guillain-Barré disease
- Cataract
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of squint is determined after a medical interview to find out the family history of general health conditions. This interview was also conducted to find out whether there was use of certain drugs and a history of certain medical procedures that could trigger a squint.
In children who have crossed eyes, it is usually physically visible that the eyes are not focused on the same point. The reflected light in the center of the pupil falls at a different point.
As an initial screening for squint, it is recommended that children aged 3-5 years have a thorough eye examination. In principle, crossed eyes can be overcome as long as you get a series of therapies as early as possible.
In addition, to make a diagnosis of squint, doctors usually carry out the following examinations:
- Examination of eye vision, which aims to determine the sharpness of vision
- Examination of the structures inside the eyeball which is done after pupil dilation
- Open and closed eye test to see movement and abnormalities in the eye
- Corneal light reflex test to check for crossed eyes
- Test with a prism to see if the eyes are aligned
If a squint is accompanied by other unusual accompanying symptoms, the doctor will examine the nervous system and nerves to check for other possible accompanying conditions.
Treatment
Here are some ways to treat squint that doctors usually recommend.
1. Eye Drops
For people with mild squint, eye drops containing atropine are given to temporarily blur the vision of the stronger eye.
Hopefully, both eyes will have the same focus.
2. Eye Exercise
Adults with mild squint symptoms will be recommended treatment by providing special exercises to the muscles that control eye movement.
3. Blindfold
In cases where lazy eye occurs, the doctor can cover the healthy eye so that the crossed eye can be “forced” to work properly.
4. Glasses or contact lenses
Glasses or contact lenses help treat strabismus due to vision problems in the eye, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.
5. Prism Lens
Prism lenses are special lenses that can bend the light that enters the eye and reduce the work of the eye to bend when it needs to see an object.
6. Inject Botox into Healthy Eye Muscles
Botox injections are done by doctors to weaken the eye muscles which are healthier and stronger. This is done in order to train the weaker eye muscles.
This method is recommended if your eyes are crossed without any cause. However, the effects of botox usually last less than 3 months.
7. Operation
Surgery can be done to tighten or loosen the muscles that work to control eye movement.
In certain cases, surgery is needed to repair the affected eye muscles.
Prevention
Squint in general can not be prevented. However, complications of squint can be prevented by early detection and proper treatment as soon as possible.
Newborns as well as children up to 3 years of age are advised to undergo a thorough eye examination to evaluate vision abilities.
Complications
One of the complications that can occur if the squint is not handled properly is lazy eye or amblyopia.
Lazy eye occurs when the brain gets used to using only one eye, the healthy eye, to perceive objects.
Over time, the eye that has a squint will decrease its work and it is not impossible to lose the ability to see.
When to See a Doctor?
Immediately see a doctor if you or your child experience any of the above symptoms. Children who have vision problems will be recognized by closing one eye or tilting their head when they see something.