Strabismus in children
Strabismus in children is a impaired binocular vision which causes the eyes not to have the same visual alignment and therefore can't focus on the same point at the same time.
During the first months of life, it is very normal that a slight visual deviation occurs, and it usually self-corrects at 7 months of age. When this does not happen, we may be faced with childhood squint.
Remember treating strabismus during childhood It is essential to prevent major problems during adulthood.
Strabismus in children
Strabismus in children is a impaired binocular vision which causes the eyes not to have the same visual alignment and therefore can't focus on the same point at the same time.
During the first months of life, it is very normal that a slight visual deviation occurs, and it usually self-corrects at 7 months of age. When this does not happen, we may be faced with childhood squint.
Remember treating strabismus during childhood It is essential to prevent major problems during adulthood.
What is strabismus in children?
Strabismus in children is a impaired binocular vision What happens when the eyes do not have the same visual alignment and therefore cannot focus on the same point at the same time.
Most commonly, one eye is dominant and the other is deviant, although there may also be alternation between the two.
In childhood strabismus two different images are perceived. When that happens, the brain discards Immediately one of the two images to avoid double vision or diplopia.
Over time, this can cause the eye to not develop properly and become a lazy eye or amblyopia.
It is also important distinguish infantile strabismus from pseudostrabismus. In the latter, the extrinsic muscles of the eye work correctly, but there is a cross-eyed sensation when the child looks to the side.
Types of strabismus in children
The types of childhood strabismus are as follows:
monocular strabismus
It's the kind of squint that occurs when one eye is deviated and the other is not. It is also the most frequent.
alternating strabismus
It's a shifting squint, since the eye that fixes the gaze and the deviated eye alternate with each other. The image that the brain uses is that of the eye that fixes the gaze.
Intermittent squint
It is a squint associated with very specific situations such as episodes of high stress, fatigue and certain illnesses.
This type of childhood squint can also occur only when the child looks at a close distance, and disappears in intermediate and far vision.
Convergent squint
El convergent strabismus It is also very frequent and is characterized because the eye drifts inward.
Divergent squint
El divergent strabismus it is just the opposite of convergent. Therefore, it is characterized because the eye deviates to the outside.
Hypertropia and hypotropia
These strabisms are the least frequent. While in hypertropia the eyeball deviates upwards, in hypotropy it does down.
Causes
Strabismus in children is associated with various factors, the most common are:
- Malfunction of extrinsic eye muscles by the brain.
- Strabismus may be related to a refractive defect, usually with the childhood hyperopia.
- Some brain problems like hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy can cause childhood strabismus.
- congenital cataracts.
- Síndrome de Down.
- Eye injuries they can affect vision.
Strabismus are usually pathologies that develop in childhood. However, they can also appear in adulthood due to episodes of high stress that overload the central nervous system, impairing the visual alignment of the eyes.
Symptoms of strabismus in children
The main symptom of strabismus is deviation of one or both eyes At first glance, but we can also find many others such as:
- Difficulty calculating distances in three dimensions.
- Headache.
- Double vision.
- Difficulty reading.
- Head tilt to get a better look using both eyes.
- Squint one eye when there is a lot of light.
- Visual fatigue.
Diagnosis of childhood strabismus
Strabismus is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist during a general review of eye health.
If the patient is a baby and begins to have a slight visual deviation, it is important take it immediately to the specialist in pediatric ophthalmology to examine the ocular structure as soon as possible and determine if the neonate has childhood strabismus.
To diagnose strabismus in children, the ophthalmologist must perform a visual acuity and refraction test to analyze the pathology presented by the boy or girl.
If during the first examination there are signs that indicate the presence of childhood strabismus, we will proceed to perform specific tests with special glasses to determine the child's ability to see relief.
As a last examination, the specialist may decide to request an MRI to rule out parallel pathology.
Strabismus treatment in children
The following treatments can be used to correct strabismus:
Optical correction
Strabismus can be corrected by using glasses, occlusions or patches visuals that help improve the lazy eye or amblyopia that is triggering the problem.
Visual therapy and exercises
Visual therapy is eye exercises that are performed to help align the eyes in a way. Progressively we manage to improve the mobility of the extrinsic muscles of the eye and stimulate the correct focus of objects at close range.
The goal of visual therapy is to get both eyes to focus on the same point at the same time.
Surgery
La strabismus operation in children it aims to strengthen or weaken the muscles of the eye to improve the mobility of the eyeball and achieve correct alignment of the same.
It is important to note that childhood strabismus surgery helps improve the aesthetic appearance of the patient, refractive defects or vision problems must be addressed through other treatments such as glasses.
When to operate strabismus in children?
Surgery for childhood strabismus is considered an option only when optical correction and visual therapy have been used without achieving the operated results.
In these cases, we opted for strabismus surgery to prevent the condition from causing problems mayores in adulthood.
