Strabismus is an early childhood condition which is commonly known as ‘crossed eyes.’ Strabismus is a condition where the eyes are not parallel; this can be where one eye wanders in, out, up, or down. It may be present at all times or it may only appear when a child is tired, ill, or concentrating on nearby objects. It may be present from birth or it can show up later in life. It is also important to note it is not uncommon for a newborn baby’s eyes to wander as their eye muscles are not well coordinated but within a few weeks they learn to coordinate both eyes and this wandering should disappear. If you are concerned your child may have this condition you should contact your G.P. or ophthalmologist as if your child does have strabismus and it isn’t treated then this can lead to amblyopia.
For normal vision, both eyes need to look in the same direction at the same time. When a child has a crossed or wandering eye, the resulting effect is a different picture from each eye. The child’s brain tries to fix this problem by blocking out the weaker eye. If it isn’t fixed then the child’s brain naturally tries to fix the problem by blocking out the picture from the weaker eye. If strabismus is not fixed then the child’s brain will learn to always ignore the pictures from the weaker eye. This results in a lazy eye.
Find out more about symptoms of Strabismus
