Crossed eyes are caused by genetic factors
Squinting usually occurs in people who have weak eye muscle control or who have nearsightedness. In many cases, there is no exact cause for this eye condition. Crossed eyes can occur all the time or only at certain times, such as when under stress, after a lot of reading , or due to an underlying disease. Apart from daily activities, a squint of eyes that just arises in adulthood can be a sign of the beginning of a stroke .
Some people are born with eye positions that are not naturally aligned. This is called congenital squint. Squinting usually develops in infants and children, most often starting at the age of three, but it is not uncommon for adolescents and adults to have this condition at one point in their lives.
The eyes of some babies may look slanted, but in fact the pair of eyes are looking in the same direction. This condition is referred to as pseudostrabismus aka fake squint. The emergence of this condition in infants may be caused by an additional layer of skin that covers the inner corner of the eye or the proportion of the baby's broad nose.
In some cases, the position of the two eyes that are not aligned is the result of disorders of the nervous system, especially a collection of nervous systems that control eye muscles that may be caused by tumors or genetic disorders.
However, do not underestimate the eye squint. Indeed, the appearance of squinting eyes in a baby will disappear on its own as the shape of the face develops - however, if the condition does not improve, squinting can continue into adulthood if left untreated. The doctor must check every child who is 4 months or older if the condition of the squint has not changed at all.
Untreated squint condition can result in permanent bad vision on the affected side of the eye. This condition is called amblyopia, aka lazy eye.
Cross-eyed means to have double vision? Not always
In each eye there are six muscles that function to control eye movements. These muscles receive signals from the brain that directs the direction in which the eyeball should move.
In the normal eye, both eyes work together so that they both point to the same object. When there is a problem with controlling eye movements, the brain will receive two different images. Initially, this will create double vision and confusion. When this misaligned eye position first occurs in adolescence or adulthood, the person can turn his head in an unusual way to look in a certain direction and avoid double vision.
However, the child's brain has enough monocular clues to understand which object is located in front of other objects. This is evident when you watch an ordinary movie on a flat screen, where you will not have problems to distinguish three-dimensional structure. Over time, his brain will learn to ignore the projected image from the side of his eye that is upside down and create a blind spot in front of one eye, so that he will see each object only once. However, this ability to self-adaptation disappears with age. If a person has squinted eyes since childhood and is not dealt with immediately, the ability of the eye to see three dimensions (stereopsis) cannot develop.
So in fact, there is no real confusion and disability suffered by squinters, except for special tasks that require extra concentration on visibility.
Cross-eyed can be treated
Crossed eyes can have a negative impact on psychology and affect one's self-confidence, because this condition interferes with normal eye contact communication with opponents of his biography, which often causes embarrassment and awkwardness when interacting with others.
To deal with squinting eyes, you must first consult an ophthalmologist. Non-surgical treatment may be recommended for the initial stages of therapy, aiming to ensure that the inverted eye does not develop into amblyopic (lazy eye). If this tendency is present in your condition, your doctor will prescribe special glasses to 'force' lazy eye performance (with eye patches or other methods) until harmonious eye vision can be achieved. In cases of squinting caused by chronic nearsightedness, the glasses can treat this condition until healed without having to undergo eye muscle surgery.
The main goal of vision therapy (including wearing glasses) is to ensure that the lazy eye condition gets visual exercise before the child reaches the age of eight or more, or before permanent loss of vision occurs.
Surgical procedures to correct squinting are performed to strengthen or weaken the effect of one or more eye-moving muscles. Ideally, this procedure will be done in childhood if your child is diagnosed with squint. If this procedure is done as an adult, you will undergo the procedure under the influence of local anesthesia (your eyes will feel numb, but you will remain aware of your surroundings).
Muscle strengthening means the removal of a small part of one of the nerve endings and then reassembled in the same location. This will make the eye muscles shorter, which will pull the eye position towards the side of the muscle. Muscle relax is done to move the muscle back or make a small incision in the muscle. This will have an impact on muscle weakness, which allows the squint to move away from the side of the muscle.