Strabismus, commonly known as crossed eyes, can be a challenging condition affecting not only vision but also daily life, making simple tasks daunting. Children are often diagnosed with this condition during one of their first eye exams, quickly leading to a flurry of questions about the next steps.
Vision therapy can manage strabismus, offering a path to better alignment and visual function. At its core, vision therapy aims to retrain the eyes and brain to work together more effectively, providing a non-invasive approach that prioritizes personalized care and lasting results.
What Is Strabismus?
Strabismus, or crossed eyes, occurs when the eyes don’t align correctly while focusing on an object. This misalignment can confuse the brain. Usually, our brain is really good at taking the image from each of our eyes and stitching it together into a single, cohesive view of the world. But with strabismus, the images are just different enough that our brain doesn’t know what to do.
Sometimes, it works extra hard to bring everything together (which can leave your eyes exhausted), but the brain may decide to ignore the input from one eye to keep vision clear. While this may clear things up in the short term, it can lead to more significant problems down the road.
Does My Child Have Strabismus?
While visual eye misalignment often suggests strabismus, it can be harder to spot than expected. Sometimes, the eyes only “cross” while your child intently focuses on something. Other times, your baby may look like they have crossed eyes, but this condition is caused by extra skin around the eyes called pseudostrabismus.
One of the best ways to know for sure if your child has crossed eyes or not is with an eye exam. Your optometrist knows what to look for and may ask what signs you’ve noticed, including:
- Complaining about blurry vision
- Rubbing their eyes
- Avoiding eye contact
- Tilting their head to read
- Constant squinting
- Skipping words when reading
- A poor attention span
- Closing one eye when in bright light or when watching TV
What Causes Strabismus?
As for why strabismus occurs, there are many causes, including:
- Uncorrected refractive errors: Vision issues like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, when left uncorrected, can contribute to eye misalignment.
- Muscle imbalance: Issues with the eye muscles responsible for movement can result in misaligned eyes.
- Neurological conditions: Disorders that affect the nervous system may change how your eye prefers to sit.
- Injuries: Physical trauma to the eye or head can affect eye alignment.
- Genetics: Sometimes, you’re simply born with it. If you had strabismus when you were younger, there’s an increased chance your kid will have it, too.
Vision Therapy for Strabismus
The truth is that not every vision challenge can be fixed with corrective lenses, and that includes strabismus. Vision therapy is a personalized program designed to improve visual skills. It involves a series of eye exercises, both in-office and at-home, tailored to the individual’s needs. But it’s also more than that. It’s a program to help people train their eyes and brain to work together more effectively.
When it comes to treating strabismus, vision therapy aims to correct the misalignment by strengthening the eye muscles and improving coordination between the eyes and brain. Through exercises and activities, patients learn to improve their focusing abilities, eye tracking, and depth perception. The goal is to develop better binocular vision, allowing both eyes to work together seamlessly.
Vision therapy sessions may include:
- Visual tracking exercises to enhance eye movement control
- Stereoscopic activities to improve depth perception
The process is a little different for each person. Your vision therapist designs these activities to be engaging, as kids who are having fun are more likely to stay motivated throughout the treatment.
What Happens If You Don’t Treat Strabismus?
It’s a common misconception that children will outgrow strabismus on their own. This is simply not the case. In fact, leaving strabismus untreated can lead to serious complications, such as amblyopia, that impact a child’s future.
Amblyopia (lazy eye) occurs when the brain is unable to process input from both eyes simultaneously. As a result, the brain disregards messages from the misaligned eye, preventing proper vision development and leading to reduced vision in that eye due to improper development.
By confronting strabismus head-on with treatments like vision therapy, we can proactively prevent these complications and set the foundation for a child’s visual success. Early intervention can preserve visual ability while supporting your child’s confidence, allowing them to participate in activities, sports, and academics without the obstacles caused by poor eye teaming.
With guidance and a tailored plan, we can transform a child’s apprehension into a future full of clear, vibrant vision and endless possibilities!
Your First Step Toward a Clearer Future
Taking action to address strabismus doesn’t have to be complicated. Our knowledgeable team at Eye Q Optometry is dedicated to providing comprehensive care and personalized treatment plans. We don’t leave you out of the process, either. We love explaining what we’re doing, so don’t be afraid to ask!
With our technology and passion for care, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Book an appointment with us today, and let’s work together toward a clearer, more confident future.
