Question:
Is there anything to do(surgery) for my Strabismis? Hi! I am 14 and I wish
to know if there is anything I can do for my eye. I am starting to have problems like when I
am looking with one eye the other just seems to fade more and more as time goes on. Is there
any type of surgery that I can maybe have that is inexpensive?? Thankyou so very
much,
(next mail after request for more info)
Hi! this is Chris, I already sent you an email and here is the more info that you asked for. I
can see with ony one eye, and I wear glases.I dont see double or anything like that, I just can't
see depth. I have a two surgeries when I was about 1 or 2 and one when I was about 6(i
think). What I want to know is there any type of surgery I can have? I am 14 and now when I
look with my one eye, (I switch the eye that I use about every 10 min. or so to make it more
comfortable.) the other one seems to move even further out than it used to. Also, when I look
with one eye the other eye is becoming even more out of focused thn it used to and it is
starting to irritate me. So to sum it up I want to know if there is either medical treatment or
surgery to help fix my problem if you even think I have one, or I'll just have to live with it.
Thank you vey much for taking the time...
(Chris)
Answer:
Dear Chris
It is still difficult to understand your case from the sparse data you supply, but I guess you
initially had inward squint and a lazy eye, the lazy eye was not or insufficiently treated by
patching the other eye, you were operated at age two and six, and your lazy eye is now turning
outward and that bothers you.
It is clear to me that surgery is indicated so go to the ophthalmologist that operated you 8
years ago and have your eyes checked. There are, however, two interesting asspects to your
case.
First, are your glasses ok ? Do you actually need more plus in your glasses ? Then the case
gets more difficult, as focusing is connected to convergence, and in that case you reduce your
outward squint by extra focusing and converging your eyes. In that case you first need to wear
the correct glasses, at least several weeks before surgery.
Secondly, most people would think that you should not have any complaints, apart from
cosmetic, as you have a lazy eye. A lazy eye does not see well, but the peripheral visual field
of the lazy eye is as good as the peripheral visual field of any eye. For double vision you use
the center of the field of one eye and some point in the peripheral visual field of the other eye.
So double vision may well occur when one eye drifts outward, in many cases it 's just a
feeling of discomfort.
Yours truly,
(Herb Simonsz, MD, PhD)
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