Strabismus Treatment

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The goal of strabismus treatment is to improve eye alignment which can allow the eyes to work together (binocular vision). Treatment will involve treating the underlying cause and may result in using eye glasses, exercises, prism and / or eye muscle surgery. Problems with untreated strabismus can include Amblyopia, no binocular vision (depth perception) or Diplopia. Strabismus, like so many other conditions, requires an individualized treatment plan, so your visits with us will include an educated assessment of your eye condition and to keep you informed as your treatment progresses. An orthoptist may be involved in this treatment plan and provide you with the knowledge and progression of your therapy.

Glasses
If your strabismus is related to focusing, then wearing the refractive correction may be the solution to the eye misalignment. In some cases, glasses can be worn with the addition of a prism to help join double vision. This can be an alternative to surgery.

Surgery
Strabismus can be treated by surgically adjusting the tension on the eye muscles. The goal of surgery is to get the eyes close enough to perfectly straight that it is hard to see any residual deviation. Surgery can be done with local anesthesia in some adults, but requires general anesthesia in children, usually as an outpatient procedure. Another alternative is using a Botox injection into the eye muscles which can be used to weaken specific muscles in order to realign the eyes. These injections use the same Botox that is used for cosmetic treatment of facial wrinkles.