What is strabismus?
Strabismus is commonly known as "eye contact", "cockfighting eyes" or "slanted white eyes". Strabismus refers to the situation where when both eyes are fixed on an object, the image falls on the fovea centralis of both eyes at different times, meaning that when one eye is fixed on the target, the other eye deviates from the target. Strabismus is a common and frequently occurring disease in pediatric ophthalmology, with a prevalence rate of about 3% and an increasing trend year by year.
Why are children prone to strabismus?
1. Children with underdeveloped visual function have immature binocular monocular function before the age of 5, which cannot coordinate the extraocular muscles well and can easily lead to strabismus.
2. Children with immature refractive system development often have hyperopia and strong accommodation, while excessive accommodation can cause excessive eye aggregation, which can easily lead to esotropia.
3. Children with myopia who have abnormal eye adjustment and collection function use little or no adjustment when approaching the target, and their collection force is weakened. Therefore, the tension of the rectus muscle is reduced, which can easily lead to common exotropia.
4. Anatomical abnormalities such as overdeveloped or underdeveloped extraocular muscles, abnormal attachment points of extraocular muscles, etc. can lead to muscle imbalance and strabismus.
5. Other factors: Genetic factors, fever, colds, trauma, prolonged use of electronic devices, and other factors can also cause strabismus.
What are the types of strabismus?
There are many types of clinical strabismus, mainly including congenital, acquired, common, and paralytic; According to whether it is controlled by fusion function, it can be divided into hidden strabismus, intermittent strabismus, and constant strabismus; According to the direction of eye position deviation, it can be divided into horizontal strabismus (including esotropia and exotropia), vertical strabismus (up and down strabismus), rotational strabismus, and mixed strabismus.
1. Introverted strabismus: The eye position is tilted inward, commonly known as "cockfighting eyes".
2. Extraverted vision: The eye position is tilted outward, commonly known as "slanted white eyes". Extrastrabismus can be intermittent or persistent, with intermittent exotropia being the most common in children.
3. Vertical strabismus: The eye position is tilted upwards or downwards, and vertical strabismus is often accompanied by tilting the head. Strabismus does not necessarily mean tilting the head, but tilting the head must be guarded against.
4. Rotational strabismus: Generally, there is no deviation in the external eye, and it can only be detected through specialized examination.
What are the hazards of strabismus?
1. Disruption of binocular visual function
Strabismus can cause simultaneous visual loss, reduced or lost stereoscopic vision, amblyopia, diplopia, etc. in children.
2. Abnormal skeletal and muscle development
Children with strabismus often use special head positions such as tilting their head or profile to overcome diplopia or discomfort, medically known as "compensatory head position". If not treated early, it can lead to skeletal and muscle developmental abnormalities in the long term, such as facial asymmetry, one side of the face being full and the other side being thin, as well as developmental abnormalities of the neck, scoliosis, and mandible.
3. Impact on mental health
Strabismus in children seriously affects their appearance, and children with strabismus are prone to develop withdrawn, insecure, and abnormal psychological states, which can affect their normal learning and social activities.
How to treat strabismus in children?
1. Non surgical treatment
including amblyopia and optical therapy, medication therapy, and visual acuity correction training. Most cases of strabismus require surgery. Strabismus amblyopia should be treated first, and strabismus correction should be performed after visual balance is achieved; Complete refractive adjustment esotropia can be corrected by wearing glasses, while some strabismus require both glasses and surgery.
2. Surgical treatment
For strabismus caused by abnormal eye muscle function, congenital strabismus, compensated head position strabismus, and intermittent exotropia affecting visual function, surgery should be performed as soon as possible. The specific surgery needs to be determined by a specialist physician after completing relevant examinations.
3. Postoperative rehabilitation
Combining binocular vision function training can avoid recurrence and promote binocular vision function recovery.