We live in a society, where our elders guide us and take care of our well being. They ensure our mental and physical well being right from our childhood.
When a child is born into a family, all the family members become very cautious about the child’s physical appearance and problems in any physical feature (such as his/her eyes, ears ,nose etc.).
If they find slightest abnormality in the child right from birth to the age of 4 years, they must take it very seriously and consult the related specialist doctor.
One such problem that appears in young children’s eyes is that of Squint (also known as Strabismus). This is a curable functional disorder of eyes and one must visit an eye hospital for squint eye treatment.
Understanding Squint
Squint is that condition of eyes in which both the eyes are not able to look at the same spot at the same time.
In this condition, one eye focuses at one spot while the other eye turns inwards, upwards, downwards or outwards. This may happen all the time or at certain periods of time.
Signs of this condition generally emerge around the age of 6 months.
Causes of Squint
a. Hereditary: If the same problem or sight related problem is there with a child’s parents.
b. Congenital: When a child is born with thisdisorder.
c. Long Illness: Long term illness of a pregnant mother may also lead to this condition in child.
d. Sight Problems: People suffering from far/near sightedness or having improperly curved cornea, may also suffer from squint.
Squint Eye Treatments
An early identification of squint may lead to the best cure. Although, an early identification is essential; still the condition may be treated all ages. Following treatments are available for its’ cure-
a. Glasses
b. Wearing an eye patch on the good eye.
c. Use of Botox injections
d. Eye Drops
e. Eye Exercises
f. Surgery (if the above treatments turn out to be ineffective)
This condition of eye is definitely curable. But there are certain myths build up around this eye problem, which must be busted so as to create awareness and ensure right treatment. People must understand that EVERY PROBLEM HAS A CURE in medical science. Some of the most common myths and their facts are revealed here:-
1. MYTH: Squints are hereditary. Also, people with squint have different vision.
FACT: If the parents of a child have numbers (near or far sightedness), and they expect a child, then there are chances that the child may have squint. The chances may range from 0-100 percent.
There is disbelief that people with squint have 3D vision or binocular vision. This is a totally false belief.
2. MYTH: Squints are congenital and cannot be corrected at all.
FACT: It is not true. Squint does not only occur at birth, but it may happen in late childhood or early adulthood.
Thanks to the advanced technology with ophthalmologists! Proper treatments are available to treat this condition.
3. MYTH: Squint disappears as child grows and goes away on its own.
FACT: The fact is that squint never disappears with age. It needs proper consultation with an eye specialist and must be treated on an urgent basis.
4. MYTH: Squint affects only one eye.
FACT: This functional disorder (squint) alternates in both the eyes and affects the vision of both.
In very rare cases, it is found in one eye only.
5. MYTH: squint has no connection with Lazy Eye.
FACT: “Lazy Eye” is a condition in when eyes are functionally fit, but there is a problem due to numbers in eye, thus making the vision improper.
Squints mostly happen in case of lazy eye. So, squints are very much connected to lazy eyes.
6. MYTH: Squint surgery is very risky and one may even loose his vision.
FACT: Squint surgery is very safe. It does not hamper the vision at all. It neither disfigures the eye no increase the squint.
7. MYTH: Squint operations are very expensive and painful. Also squint surgery is cosmetic.
FACT: Squint surgery is affordable and it does not cause pain.
Many people falsely believe that such surgery is required for beautification of a person’s looks. However, the only need for this surgery is to correct the eye functioning.
AWARENESS is the best tool in our hand to prove the myths about any problem as incorrect. So, we must be well aware about this problem too and if anyone is having this eye disorder, we must get it treated by the specialist doctor.
Not just this condition, rather all minor and major conditions of eye are very sensitive and must be taken care of as a top priority. An annual eye health checkup is the best and safest way to counter such problems. So, take out time to say HELLO! to your eye specialist once in a year.
