Squints are more common in children– approximately 1 in 20 children suffer from this. It usually develops before a child becomes 5 years of age, but can appear in adulthood as well.
Note: It is not necessary that all squint patients experience misalignment throughout the day—many a times patients suffer from squint conditions for certain parts of the day and have normal eyesight for the remaining part of the day.
What causes squint?
Acquired squint is caused when the eye tries to overcome certain vision problems like refractive errors, mainly
Myopia (short-sightedness)
Hyperopia (far-sightedness)
Astigmatism (blurred vision)
Congenital squint is caused due to
Weakened eye muscles or abnormal eye nerve impulses to the eye, or
Hereditary causes
In rare cases, other causes that may also result in squinted eyes are
Childhood illnesses, for instance, viral infections such as measles
Certain genetic conditions such as Noonan’s or Down’s syndrome
Hydrocephalus, which is caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain
Other eye problems, such as abnormal development of the muscles that move the eye, a problem with the retina (the layer of light-sensitive nerve cells at the back of the eye)
Pathology inside the eye, such as cataract, corneal scars, glaucoma, tumours of the eye, etc.
Retinoblastoma, a rare kind of eye cancer
There are greater chances of being affected with squint if
There is a family history of squints, lazy eye (amblyopia) or needing glasses
Having a condition that affects the nervous system, such as cerebral palsy
Being born early (prematurely) or with a low birth weight
Symptoms of squint
Know this: The eyes of new-borns are rarely aligned 3 to 4 weeks after birth. It is only after a month that you should be concerned if your child’s eyes are still misaligned. In such scenarios, get him/her checked by an ophthalmologist instantly.
The most obvious symptom of squint is the eyes looking in different directions. Apart from this, other symptoms include:
Instantly closing the squinted eye when exposed to bright sunlight
Faulty depth perception
Tilting the head in a certain direction when trying to focus on an object in order to use both eyes
Experiencing double vision or confusion
When left untreated for a long time, squints may result in lazy eye (amblyopia)— a condition where the brain begins to ignore signals coming from the eye with the squint. Tag = Eye Hospital in Mumbai, Best Eye Surgeon in Mumbai
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