Many newborns experience the occasional wandering or crossing of their eyes when they are first born. But once they reach four to six months of age, their eyes should straighten out on their own. However, in some cases, a condition called strabismus can cause a newborn’s eyes to continue to cross or wander after the first four to six months. Fortunately, strabismus is easily treatable and can be cured through a variety of tried and tested treatment options. With that in mind, here are some ways in which you can treat strabismus in your newborn so that they do not develop any sort of permanent vision loss.
How Strabismus Occurs
In order to understand how to treat strabismus, it’s important to know how it occurs and what it effects in your child. Strabismus simply refers to the misalignment of the eyes, and although the cause is unknown, a family history does pose an increased risk. When strabismus occurs, a child’s eyes can either wander inward, outward or upwards and downwards. This is refereed to as esotropia, exotropia and hypertropia respectively.
How To Treat Strabismus
Once you notice the onset of strabismus in your child, you should immediately notify your medical professional to determine what treatment options are available. Treatment options are ultimately determined by your medical professional, and recommendations will depend on the severity of the disorder and the underlying cause. For example, if your child also suffers from farsightedness (hyperopia), nearsightedness (myopia), and astigmatism (blurred vision), this may be the cause of their crossed eyes. In this case, your medical professional will refer you to a pediatric optometrist, who can fashion a prescription grade level of glasses for your child to correct their crossed eyes.
In rare cases, and if other methods have been tried and have failed, eye muscle surgery may be recommended course of action. This surgical procedure involves the loosening or tightening the muscles that cause the eye to cross. While this is considered an invasive procedure, surgery is considered safe and effective and usually does not require an overnight hospital stay, especially for children of 6 years old or under.
The best thing you can do for strabismus in your child is to inform your medical professional, as they will be able to take the necessarily steps to cure this vision disorder in your child so that it will not effect them into adulthood and they can a normal and full visioned life.