STRABISMUS SURGERY

Strabismus occurs when there is an abnormal deviation of one eye or the other in some positions when the patient is looking. This deviation can be horizontal (outwards deviation or inwards) or vertical ( upwards or downwards deviation ) All children who experience a deviation of the eyes intermittently should be seen by a doctor at the age of six or seven months. If the deviation is permanent these patients should be seen even earlier.

Strabismus can be treated with glasses, contact lenses or even surgery. The latter consists in isolating the eye muscles which are in charge of mobility and situating them in another place to weaken or strengthen their action. This is a very simple type of surgery but at these ages patients do require general anesthetic. If the strabismus is accommodative, it is corrected by glasses or contact lenses, to keep the eyes straight and once adulthood is reached, the patient can be operated on with Lasik ( laser surgery).