Strabismus is a deviation of the visual line of sight of one of the two eyes. There is a greater chance of developing this disease if you have a family history of strabismus, farsightedness or amblyopia. Also, people with differences in graduation, those who suffer from cataracts or with very high raduations are more likely to develop strabismus.
It is essential to detect strabismus at an early age, since at this age an adaptation procedure is generated through which the brain captures the image with higher quality and automatically rejects the other. Strabismus surgery is performed to align both eyes or, if not, to reduce the deviation between them. This alteration of the eyes affects the focus of the eyes.
It is necessary to evaluate each case to decide the suitability of the operation. If the strabismus responds to problems that impair the control of the muscles that perform the eye movement, work will be done to strengthen them. In other cases, glasses will be used to correct the prescription and in those cases in which strabismus is accompanied by a lazy eye, occlusion treatments will be performed to restore visual acuity.
Strabismus surgery as a last alternative
Surgery will be resorted to in cases where other treatments have not been sufficient to improve the patient’s visual acuity.
Before undergoing an operation, you should know the following:
- In cases of strabismus in adults, a local anesthetic is administered between and over the surface of the eye. If strabismus affects children, general anesthesia is used.
- The muscles of both eyes can be operated on even if only one eye is deviated.
- Double vision may occur after the operation, which will disappear with time.
- After the operation, the eyes should be covered, alternating one eye and the other to avoid lazy eye and double vision. The ophthalmologist will determine when this is necessary.
Undergoing an operation may improve the alignment between the two eyes, but it does not ensure that vision is also optimized. Other treatments may be necessary.