To schedule an appointment, please call 734-764-7558.

Symptoms include misaligned eyes and possibly decreased vision. These symptoms may not necessarily mean that your child has strabismus; however, if you observe one or more of these symptoms, contact your child's eye doctor for a complete exam.

In infants, it is often difficult to determine the difference between true strabismus (misaligned eyes) and eyes that appear to be crossed. Young children often have a wide, flat nasal bridge and a fold of skin at the inner eyelid (epicanthal fold) that tends to hide the white sclera of the eye when looking in side gaze, thus causing the eyes to appear crossed. An ophthalmologist can readily distinguish true strabismus from the optical illusion called pseudo-strabismus which resolves spontaneously with growth during childhood development. Children should undergo vision screening by a family doctor, pediatrician, or ophthalmologist at birth, six months of age, three years of age, and pre-school to detect potential eye problems early while they can still be treated.

The treatment goal for strabismus is to allow for normal vision development, realign the eyes, prevent amblyopia (lazy eye), and attempt to restore stereo or 3-dimensional vision. If amblyopia is detected in the first few years of life, treatment is often successful. If diagnosis and treatment is delayed until later, amblyopia (reduced vision in one or both eyes caused by disuse) may become permanent. Occlusive patching of the better sighted eye can force use of the amblyopic eye and improve vision in the amblyopic eye. Depending on the cause of the strabismus or amblyopia, treatment may involve repositioning the unbalanced eye muscles, removing a cataract, or correcting other conditions that are causing the eyes to turn. After a complete eye examination, refraction and detailed study of the inner parts of the eye, an ophthalmologist can recommend appropriate optical, medical, or surgical treatment.

Early surgery is often recommended to correct strabismus in younger infants, who can then develop normal acuity and binocular (stereo) vision once the eyes are straightened. As a child gets older, the chance of developing normal sight and depth perception decreases. Crossed eyes can also have a negative effect on a child's coordination and motor skills, social interaction and self-confidence.

Strabismus surgery involves making a small incision in the tissue covering the eye, which allows the ophthalmologist to access the underlying eye muscles. The eyeball is never removed from the socket during this kind of eye surgery. Which eye muscles are repositioned during the surgery and by how much depends upon detailed measurement of the type of strabismus. It may be necessary to perform eye muscle surgery on one or both eyes. When strabismus surgery is performed on children, a general anesthetic is required; a local anesthetic is often an option for adults.

Eye muscle surgery is generally performed as an outpatient procedure in a hospital or a surgery center. Recovery time is rapid and the patient is usually able to resume normal activities within a few days. Following surgery, glasses or prisms may sometimes be needed to “fine tune” the result. Over-or-under correction can occur and further "touch-up" surgery may be needed. As with any surgery, eye muscle surgery has certain risks which include over or under correction of the strabismus, infection, bleeding, excessive scarring, and other complications that very rarely may lead to loss of vision.