Strabismus: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Crossed eyes

Strabismus is a disease associated with the eyes where the eyes are not in alignment and the eyeballs point in different points. In this case one eye might appear to be pointed in the right direction and the other eye points at a different direction. The faulty eye may be pointed at one direction at a time and then become normal again after sometime. This symptom may come and go. This disease is common in children and it might occur with some people at a later stage too. Strabismus causes some visual disruption which might cause you to have headaches, eye strains and also case of jittery vision. Strabismus is mainly caused by neurological problems that hamper the proper functioning of the extraocular nerves associated with the eye. The motor nerve that controls the binocular vision fails to control the eyeball’s direction. Strabismus might also occur from genetics where if your parent has strabismus, there is a high chance that you might develop strabismus as well. Infants when they are born, might have strabismus but it can improve over a period of time and sometimes they do not. If you are left untreated with strabismus, eventually it might lead to visual impairment.

Strabismus often requires a procedure of surgery for which you need to consult with an ophthalmologist. The success of surgery depends on the condition of the eye but in most of the cases, gradually the eyes become aligned again and function properly. The surgery helps to improve the motor nerve of the eyes and maintains the proper alignment of the eyeballs. There are also some cases of non surgical treatment such as vision therapy. The vision therapy might also be associated with the post surgery process. During the surgery the eyeball is nevr removed from the socket, there is a small incision in the covering layer of the eye and the eye muscles are detached from the wall and the eyes are repositioned during the surgery. If you are facing the problem of strabismus only on one eye during surgery it might also be necessary to perform surgery on both of the eyes as well. The recovery time is rapid and then the person who is suffering can continue to perform day to day activities within a few days. The ophthalmologist may also advise you to wear specific bifocal glasses which reduce the focusing effort and the lenses help to straighten the eye. However, if the crossing of eyes are still persistent, surgery may be required.

Strabismus usually occurs from a small age. If you are suffering from strabismus then you might notice that one of your eyes is not properly aligned or not properly directed towards the position that you want it to. There might also be jittered vision and cause headaches. The crossed eye might come and go and no matter how hard you try, the crossed eye condition is involuntary. If you are facing with these problems then you must consult an ophthalmologist and start the treatment right away.

Those who have a deformed eye structure or different positioning of the eye due to some kind of trauma or past accidents are required to consult with an ophthalmologist as they might not suffer from strabismus. In cases like these you are not eligible for the treatment of strabismus.

The treatment of surgery for strabismus usually do not lead to any side effects, however there might be some complications regarding the surgery. After the surgery, one can have a case of diplopia (where one suffers a case of overcorrectment of the eyeballs which again results to improper positioning of the eye). Those who do not have a proper immune system, they might suffer from post operative infection which are caused due to a chorioretinal scar due to the incision performed.

The post treatment guideline for the case of strabismus involves mainly visual therapy. The vision therapies help the smooth functioning of the eye and help the eyeball to reposition to its original place. If you have a surgery then you should not apply direct water to your eye for at least two to three days. If you do not take care of yourself after the surgery then there is also a chance that the condition of strabismus might come back. You should also look out for the case of overcorrection of the eyeballs which does not eliminate the problem of eye crossing.

The recovery time for the case of strabismus is rapid. If you have a surgery and follow the post treatment guidelines along with the medications which you are prescribed, you should take about two weeks for your eyes to be normal again.

The medications such as tablets, eye drops range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,500 monthly. If you undergo a surgery then depending on the condition and the medical facilities it ranges from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 30,000. The cost for vision therapies usually range from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,500 (monthly).

The results for the treatment of strabismus are very effective and the recovery time is rapid. However, there might be some post surgery infections if you have complications regarding your immune system. With proper medications and vision therapies you can gradually see that your eyeballs will be in the right position at all times.