Strabismus treatment

Misaligned or crossed eyes, also known as strabismus, can affect both vision and appearance. This condition causes the eyes to look in different directions and can be a result of various congenital issues and acquired issues such as injuries, strokes, orbital inflammations, or other problems. At OCLI Vision, our experienced ophthalmologists offer treatments to help patients with strabismus see better and ensure that they look their best. Our team is committed to providing the best care and support for this visual problem.

When your eyes don’t work together to focus on objects or your general surroundings, the resulting condition is called strabismus. It can affect children and adults and often causes double vision when it develops later in life. Some of its common side effects include:

• Amblyopia, or lazy eye, occurs when children unconsciously suppress the vision in the weaker of their two eyes to prevent double vision. This can cause the dominant eye to work harder, which often leads to headaches and eyestrain for children, adolescents and younger adults.
• Exotropia is when the eyes turn outward rather than inward and is a more common condition than crossed eyes. It can produce headaches and difficulty in focusing on both nearby and faraway objects.
• Depth perception is often negatively affected by eyes that are crossed or misaligned. This condition can also reduce peripheral vision and may affect walking and balance, which can cause serious problems in some patients.

To reduce the impact of strabismus-related effects on your vision, treatment options should be considered as soon as the strabismus is diagnosed. Working with one of our qualified and knowledgeable neuro-ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists is the best way to deal with eye-misalignment issues and to ensure the right treatment plan for the best outcome.

Unlike many other eye care providers, the neuro-ophthalmologists at OCLI Vision have the knowledge and expertise to provide a wide range of treatment options that are designed to suit each patient’s specific needs. Rather than simply diagnosing strabismus, we offer pharmacological, optical, and surgical treatment options to help resolve these issues.

The neuro-ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists at OCLI Vision can also prescribe eyeglasses with or without prisms that can reduce the effort needed to focus the eyes. These options can help the eyes to improve vision and work together more comfortably. There are two types of prism lenses that can be considered, Fresnel prism (temporary) and ground-in prism. Prism lenses are often used in eyeglasses to bend the light and provide better fusion for our patients. Sometimes, we may recommend eye exercises (convergence exercises or pencil push up exercise) for convergence insufficiency, which is a form of exotropia. By following our recommendations for orthoptics, you may be able to resolve these eye issues that could affect your vision.

For those with stable but significant amounts of ocular misalignment, strabismus surgery may be required. Some of the most common surgeries used to treat this condition are:

• Recession and resection procedures are used to reposition the affected muscles to weaken or strengthen them, which enables the eyes to move and function better.
• Scar revision and exploration may be required for cases in which previous surgeries have overcorrected or undercorrected the problem or when injuries to the eye or orbital inflammation are responsible for the misalignment of the eyes and resulting poor vision.
• Transposition of extraocular muscles changes the properties of the muscle to allow it to assist a paretic muscle and to modify the direction in which the eyes move better.

Our skilled and knowledgeable neuro-ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists will work with you to determine the best course of action for treating your strabismus successfully, helping you to see more clearly every day.

If you’re looking for the most advanced and effective eye care for you or any member of your family, OCLI Vision can provide you with the right solutions for your needs. To learn more about our treatment options or to request an appointment, please call us today. We look forward to serving your needs now and in the future.