What Is Squint Or Crossed Eye? Causes, Symptoms, Complications And Treatments

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Squint eye or crossed eye or strabismus is a common eye disorder characterised by misalignment of the eyes, or say eyes (one or both) that points either inwards or outwards or downwards or upwards, appearing to be non-aligned when looked straight or into the direction of the focused object. [1]

In people with squint eyes, one eye often looks in the direction of the object with the head held in the same direction, while the other eye looks at something else or in a deviating direction.

In this article, we will discuss details on squint eye. Take a look.

Causes Of Squint Eye

Studies say that squint eye can be due to refractive error or anomalies in binocular fusion vision or also due to problems in the nerves related to the movements of the eyes

The human eyes move in a coordinated manner, so that the things or objects at which we are looking can be visible at the centre of each eye. This is done by twelve eye muscles (six in each eye) that help move the eyes up, right, left, below and maintain coordination. [2]

The brain receives the images from both the eyes and fuses the images as a single three-dimensional image, also known as binocular vision.

Problems in these nerves due to factors like infection, tumours, trauma, toxicity or congenital may cause misalignment issues in the eyes, thus leading to the development of squint eye.

When the eye is squinted upwards, it is called hypertrophic, hypotropia when downwards, esotropia when inwards and exotropia when outwards.

When Do Patients Develop Squint Vision?

• Some types of squint eyes are congenital and are present in children from birth. This is mainly because of the presence of the strabismus in the family. [3]
• Some children develop it between ages 3-6 years due to preexisting eye condition hypermetropia or farsightedness. [4]
• Some children develop the condition due to childhood injury or trauma.
• Some may develop the condition in later stages due to chronic conditions like cancer or tumour affecting their nerves.

Symptoms Of Squint Eye

• One eye looks straight and the other in a different direction.
• Blurred vision.
• Defective vision in one or both eyes.
• Closing one eye in bright sunlight
• Poor depth perception.
• Poor peripheral vision, that allows seeing objects all around without turning the head.
• Experiencing double vision.
• Confusion in visualizing objects.
• Headache [5]

Risk Factors Of Squint Eye

Some of the risk factors of squint eye may include:

• Family history
• Trauma
• Brain disorders like Cerebral Palsy. [6]
• Genetic conditions like Down Syndrome.
• Brain tumours.
• Cataract
• Eye injury
• Eye tumour
• Prolonged far-sightedness
• Premature infants with low birth weight.

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Complications Of Squint Eye

Some of the complications of squint eye may include:

• Though not all patients with squint eyes have vision problems, if left untreated for long, the condition may get severe and result in vision problems.
• The stress on the eyes to view objects clearly can cause chronic headaches.
• Visual confusion (rarely) is like seeing two different objects or things in the same place.

Diagnosis Of Squint Eye

Diagnosis of squint eye starts with a physical examination of the eyes followed by taking details of the medical history of the patient.

Some of the ocular assessments to diagnose crossed eye include:

• CSM: Central, Steady and Maintained method to check the alignment of the eyes.
• Cardiff picture cards test: To check eye movement in preverbal children.
• Stereo acuity: To check for the depth perception in people with squints.
• Hirschberg test: To determine the alignment of the eyes with the help of torchlight. [7]

Treatments Of Squint Eye

The main aim of treating squint eyes is to correct the alignment of the eyes. Experts say that early diagnosis and treatment of the condition can help reverse the squint eyes and give the best chances of improvement.

Some of the treatment methods for squint eye may include:

• Eyeglasses: Some eyeglasses containing prism can help correct mild refractive error causing the squint. [8]
• Eye exercises: It may help strengthen the eye muscles which are causing the squinting.
• Surgery: It is suggested for people with severe squint eyes. [9]
• Eye patch: It is worn on the good eye so that the one with the squint can work better and improve.
• Eye drops: It helps to temporary blur the good or normal eye, thus forcing the squint eye to focus and send visual input to the brain.

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To Conclude

Squint eye is a reversible eye condition. Though the complications associated with it is not life-threatening, it may cause certain cosmetic issues. With proper treatment and management, squint eyes can however be corrected.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.