Squint (Strabismus)

Squint (Strabismus) occurs when the two eyes do not look in the same direction, due to an imbalance in the action of the ocular muscles. It can be familial, so that it may be present in infancy.

When this happens one eye may look away from the other - a divergent squint - or towards it, when it is called convergent. The image from the deviant eye is ignored, so that the child does not see double. If this happens for a prolonged period, the development of the child’s visual cortex in the brain may be impaired, and the vision in that eye impaired permanently (Amblyopia). With early treatment (the normal eye being covered for part of each day) the vision develops normally. Surgery may be necessary to correct the alignment.

Squint that develops after childhood may be vertical or horizontal, and may follow injury or be associated with other disorders such as diabetes or brain tumour. It presents as double vision, and must be investigated.
 
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