Strabismus is no joke. Approximately 5% of ALL children are affected by strabismus. Many parents believe that their children’s strabismus, especially if it is not severe, will get better with time. But, in most cases that is not true! In our previous article “What is Strabismus?” we explained what strabismus is and how it shows itself.
Therefore, today we will talk about the common causes of strabismus and how the different types are treated. Our Livingston Pediatric Optician is a board-certified strabismus surgeon, so you can trust us.
Causes
Each eye is surrounded with 6 muscles, which work together to allow both eyes to focus on the same object. When this fails, the two eyes fail to focus on the same object and images of two objects are sent to the brain at the same time. Overtime, if this is left untreated the brain will suppress the images coming from the weaker eye, until the eye completely loses vision. This condition is called amblyopia. However, at times amblyopia is present before strabismus and even causes it.
MedlinePlus explains that the cause of strabismus in children is difficult to define. More than 50% of strabismus cases go under congenital strabismus (amblyopia present at birth, or shortly after). Furthermore, the problem develops as a result of lack of muscle control, not strength. Therefore, being taken care of by our child’s eye doctor is your best chance at getting the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment in no-time!
There are other disorders associated with strabismus in children, so keep an eye out for these too! These disorders include:
· Apert syndrome
· Cerebral palsy
· Congenital rubella
· Hemangioma near the eye during infancy
· Incontinentia pigmenti syndrome
· Noonan syndrome
· Prader-Willi syndrome
· Retinopathy of prematurity
· Retinoblastoma
· Traumatic brain injury
· Trisomy 18
Treatment
There are four main types of treatment available to children with strabismus. Your pediatric ophthalmologist will decide which option will be best for your child’s condition. The purpose of the treatment is to straighten the eyes and rebuild binocular (two-eye) vision.
- Eyeglasses
- Eye patching
- Eye drops
- Eye muscle surgery
The American Academy of Ophthalmology explains that in the case of accommodative esotropia, eyeglasses reduce the amount of effort required by the weaker eye to focus, and often successfully straighten the eye. However, if strabismus persists, the child might be required to undergo an eye muscle surgery. This might also be the case with exotropia. Eye muscle surgery often involves tightening, or loosening the muscles that cause the eye to wander. AND most surgery patients go home on the day of the surgery!
Visit our optical shop in Livingston to see what types of eyeglasses we have available! We have designs that will suit your child’s lifestyle – from flexible frames for the active outgoing children to brands specifically designed for babies and toddlers.
Eye patching and eye drops usually go hand-in-hand, in terms of their function. Patching the stronger eye for a few hours every day will give the weaker eye a chance to work harder. Although, as Kids Health points out, it is often difficult for babies and toddlers to get used to an eye patch. In this case, the atropine drops are used instead. These drops temporarily blur the vision in the eye, hence just like patching, they allow the weaker eye to get stronger. You can find out more about eye patches on our Livingston optical shop website.
About our Pediatric Optician Livingston near you!
Our exceptional doctors, Amy Lambert, MD, and Rachel Bloom, MD, are both board certified pediatric ophthalmologists. Dr. Lambert, the founder of Pediatric Eye Associates, LLc, is also a board certified strabismus surgeon, and Dr. Bloom is additionally fellowship trained. Our child eye doctors are experts at meeting your children’s eye and visual needs. We pride ourselves with the results we achieve with our patients and we believe the key is not just our medical expertise, but also attitude and patience with the children. Our motto is “to provide the highest quality eye care for children in a setting that is comfortable and reassuring.”
We understand that you will have many questions about our Livingston ophthalmologist, so if any of them are still unanswered, please refer to our FAQs page, or contact us. You can get in touch with us by:
1.Visiting our practice
22 Old Short Hills Rd. Lower Level-1,Livingston, New Jersey 07039
Open hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 17:00Calling us on 973-422-1230
2. Submitting the inquiry form on our contact us page
3. Checking our facebook page – Pediatric Eye Associates, LLC
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
