Prism Glasses for Adult Strabismus
Adult strabismus, or crossed eyes, is a condition where the eyes are not aligned properly. When they point in different directions—even subtly—vision is affected because both eyes must aim at the same spot for you to see well. Many people don’t realize that the condition can switch from one eye to the other.
Adult Strabismus Facts
With strabismus, one eye looks straight ahead while the other eye turns out, in, up or down. Six muscles control eye movement, and all six must work together for proper alignment. Although anyone can develop strabismus, most adults with the condition have had it since childhood.
Adults often have additional problems that cause or exacerbate strabismus. Some of these include:
- Head injuries
- Eye muscle damage during eye surgery
- Diabetes
- Graves’ disease
- Myasthenia gravis
- Brain tumors
- Stroke
While a young child’s brain learns to ignore the image from the misaligned eye, adult brains cannot make this adjustment. Adults with strabismus usually experience double vision as the brain tries to combine the images into one three-dimensional image. Without the ability to do this, depth perception is lost.
Strabismus Signs and Symptoms
The main strabismus symptom people notice is the eyes appearing out of alignment, but this may not always be obvious. Other signs and symptoms include:
- Double vision
- Blurry vision
- Loss of depth perception
- Eye weakness
- A sensation of something pulling around the eyes
- Tilting or turning your head to see things clearly
Note that strabismus symptoms can be continual or they may come and go.
Strabismus Treatment Options
Eye muscle exercises can help treat mild cases of strabismus. Surgery is the most common treatment for crossed eyes. It may take more than one procedure to treat strabismus, but it’s an effective way to fix the muscular issues interfering with proper eye alignment.
