• Squint & Strabismus
• Refractive error
• Glasses for children
• Lazy eye (amblyopia)
• Treatment of amblyopia/lazy eye in children
• Surgery in children
• Orthoptic exercises in children
  
  
  
• UK Strategy

A squint is a condition in which the eyes are not straight. In most cases, one eye appears to look straight ahead, while the other eye turns inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards.

• Convergent squint - the abnormal eye gazes inwards
• Divergent squint - the affected eye looks outwards towards the corner of the eye
• Vertical squint - the eye gazes up or down
• any squint can be present all the time or be intermittant

Treatment is threefold

1. to correct refractive error as below...many children need spectacles to place a clear image on the retina
2. to correct lazy eye if present (patching etc)
3. if the squint is still present with spectacles and correction (as much as can be achieved) of the lazy eye, then squint surgery is often needed
4. there may be other issues that need to be addressed

Links

• photos   
• NHS Direct squint    
• another
• RNIB  
• treatment

A child may need glasses if they are long-sighted (hypermetropic), short-sighted (myopic) or have astigmatism in one or both eyes.

See animation

Long-sighted (hypermetropia)

hypermetropia

Astigmatism occurs when the shape of the eye is more like that of a ‘rugby ball’ than that of a ‘football’? Sight is blurred unless the astigmatism is corrected by glasses.

See

Glasses will correct the refractive error and enable a clear image to be formed on the retina. In certain types of squint, glasses may straighten the eyes and surgery for the squint is not necessary.

Visual development occurs rapidly in the early years of life and continues until approximately 7 - 8 years of age. If the back of the eye and the brain do not receive a clear focused image during this time of visual development, the child’s vision will be reduced. Hence the term ‘lazy eye’. Amblyopia does not affect educational achievement etc BMJ. NHS library 2010    Eye 2011

• explanation
• symptoms
• causes
• diagnosis
• treatment
• complications

Amblyopia is treated by patching (occlusion) of the good eye. As a result, the weaker eye is encouraged to work harder, and visual activities such as colouring, reading, and drawing are helpful while the patch is worn.

Occlusion (sometimes called 'patching') is helpful in younger children, but is not so effective over 5y.