Ravina Sewani

Squint eye or strabismus is misalignment of the two eyes where the eyes do not look in the same direction. This means that a child with squint eye(s) may not focus on an object (s)he is looking at. When a child is looking straight ahead, one of the eye may turn either inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. Some babies are born with a squint (strabismus), and some babies and children develop a squint later. Acquired squints are sometimes caused by the eye trying to overcome a vision problem, such as short-sightedness, but in many cases the cause is unknown. Rarely, a squint may be caused by a condition in the eye itself. In most squints one eye turns inwards or outwards. Less often, it may turn up or down. The misalignment in some cases is constant while in other can appear only at some particular times. Squint eye is also associated with weak eyesight. Types of squint:<ul><li>An eye that turns inwards is called an esotropia.</li><li>An eye that turns outwards is called an exotropia.</li><li>An eye that turns upwards is called a hypertropia.</li><li>An eye that turns downwards is called a hypotropia.</li></ul> Causes:<ul><li>Trauma</li><li>Lesions in the brain</li><li>Staring screens for long hours</li><li>Imbalance in the eye muscle</li><li>Aberration in the nerve supply</li><li>Decreased vision in one eye</li></ul> Symptoms:<ul><li>A family member, teacher, or a health care provider notices that the eyes of a child are not straight.</li><li>Kids usually don’t complain for vision problems although some kids may complain of double vision (seeing two objects when there's only one in view) or have trouble seeing things in general.</li><li>Younger kids who cannot fully talk may squint a lot and turn or tilt their heads in an attempt to see more clearly.</li></ul> Diagnosis:Squint can be diagnosed when a child is taken to an ophthalmologist for routine check-up. Tests to find a squint can involve covering and uncovering each eye in turn. This often shows which eye has the squint and how it moves. The pupils of the eye can be checked with a torch, to check that they become smaller (constrict) with light and widen (dilate) when the light is removed. Very occasionally a scan of the eye or the brain may also be needed. Treatment:<ul><li>The correction of squint eye can be done by an eye specialist only. The first is that your child will be prescribed glasses to wear. After the prescription of the glasses, the doctor usually assesses the squint again.</li><li>The doctor will either advise patching of the eye or the use of dilating drops depending on the type of squint. The eye specialist might also suggest some eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles.</li><li>In a more complicated case of squint eye, the doctor might also suggest a surgery to be done.</li></ul>

Many a times, squint eye resolves on its own but if it does not, it needs correction and treatment.

what is squint eye

Read the article to know how squint eye can be treated in children.

Squint eye in children

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