Squint

A squint, also known as strabismus, is a condition where eyes are misaligned because of an incorrect balance of the muscles that control them. One eye can turn inwards, outwards or upwards, while the other eye looks forward.

• An eye that turns inwards is called an esotropia.
• An eye that turns outwards is called an exotropia.
• Less common is hypertropia, when an eye may turn upwards, and hypotropia, when an eye turns downwards.

Squints can be constant (apparent at all times) or intermittent (only apparent at certain times).

The cause, severity and direction of a squint varies from person to person. It's usually spotted in childhood, sometimes within weeks of a baby being born, and affects 5-8% of children (one or two in every 30).

How does a squint affect vision?

This depends on the type os squint and the age of your child.
In a young child a squint can lead to the development of a lazy eye.

To avoid double vision, the brain ignores the signals from the eye with a squint, and only ‘sees’ images from the normal eye. As the squinting eye is not being used, it will eventually become ‘lazy’. 

• In an older child, a squint may give double vision but not produce a lazy eye. This is because their vision will be fully developed. 
• Occasionally, children may experience headaches or blurred vision while their squint is being controlled.
• If the vision in the squinting eye is poor, a child may have to wear a patch over the other eye to encourage the vision to develop.