Squint Treatment in Ahmedabad

Normally both eyes look at the same thing. The brain joins the two pictures into one. That is how we judge distance and depth.

In squint, one eye looks at the object and the other points somewhere else — inward, outward, up or down. It may be there all the time, or come and go.

Two eyes pointing different ways send the brain two different pictures.

To avoid seeing double, the brain starts ignoring the weaker eye. Two things then happen:

• That eye loses vision. It is called lazy eye (amblyopia). After a certain age this loss cannot be fixed, even with glasses.
• Depth perception goes. Judging distance needs both eyes working together.

Young eyes respond best to treatment. A squint treated at 3 does much better than the same squint treated at 13.

Six small muscles move each eye. A problem anywhere in that system causes squint.

• Glasses power that was never corrected. A long-sighted child strains to focus, and that strain pulls the eyes inward. Glasses alone often fix this type.
• Weak or unbalanced eye muscles.
• Poor vision in one eye — from cataract or other problems. An eye that cannot see well tends to drift.
• Nerve weakness affecting the muscles that move the eye.
• Premature birth or neurological conditions raise the risk.

Treatment depends on the cause. We start with the simplest option that works.

• Glasses. First choice when the squint is caused by glasses power. Often enough on its own.
• Patching. Covering the stronger eye to build up the weaker one. Vision is usually treated before alignment.
• Prisms. Special lenses for small squints and for double vision in adults.
• Eye exercises. Genuinely useful for certain types, especially when the eyes struggle to turn inward for reading.
• Surgery. For squints that are large, constant, or have not improved with the above.