Squint eye in children: Causes and corrective measures

Pediatric ophthalmologist P. Chandrasekhara Reddy explains the problem of squint in children and the ways to treat it. Dr Reddy explained that eyes are like amazing cameras with both eyeballs working in coordination. Both the eyeballs move in the same direction to perceive an object a nd sent the signals to the brain through the optic nerve.

Hyderabad: Squint, the misaligning of the eyes, is not lucky as it is said. We often hear people saying that children are lucky if they have squinted eyes, which is not true. Squint is a common eye problem in children accounting for 30% of patients, through population-based surveys demonstrate a wide range of prevalence of squint varying from 0.2% to 40%. Doctors state that there is a chance to correct the disorder and neglecting it can lead to vision loss.

Pediatric ophthalmologist P. Chandrasekhara Reddy explains the problem of squint in children and the ways to treat it. Dr Reddy explained that eyes are like amazing cameras with both eyeballs working in coordination. Both the eyeballs move in the same direction to perceive an object and sent the signals to the brain through the optic nerve.

The brain in turn processes the signals and we perceive a complete picture of an object to know the dimensions of the object. As per Dr Reddy, there are six muscles holding the eyeball adding a squint arises due to a defect in the muscles leaving the eyes out of sync. While there were fewer surgeries for squint in the past, the corrective procedures are readily available today thanks to the advancements in eye health care.

Dr Reddy said that squints are fixed through medicine and even exercises today. Most children show the symptoms of squint at six months of age, Dr Reddy said.