Strabismus: Does Your Baby Need to See an Opthalmologist?

Strabismus, or misalignment of the eyes, is commonly seen in babies and young children. Crossing of the eyes is considered normal for children who are younger than two months. However, in children above three months of age, crossing of the eyes may indicate exotropia (condition of the eyes moving outward) or esoptropia (the condition of the eyes crossing inward).

If you are concerned about strabismus, have your child examined by an ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist will evaluate your child on factors such as eye alignment, visual acuteness, and depth perception.

Any of the following treatments may be prescribed in case of strabismus:

• Corrective lenses: These are useful if strabismus is due to the voluntary movement of the eyes caused by a defect in the eye lens. Once the lens corrects the defect, the strabismus is also cured.
• Patching: Here a patch is used to cover the good eye. This has the effect of causing the bad eye to work correctly. This restores any defect in the vision and thereby corrects the strabismus.
• Surgery: A surgery may also be required to enable the eye muscle to pull the eyeball into position. Sometimes surgery may need to be carried out in both eyes to ensure proper coordination between the two.