Procedures
Squint Surgery
More Than Just Cosmetic
A squint is when a person’s eyes do not align properly but look in different directions. People may also refer to it as “strabismus”. It often affects children but can occur at any age. The eye may turn inwards( Esotropia), outwards ( Exotropia), or more rarely upwards( Hypertropia) or downwards ( Hypotropia).
Strabismus surgery is eye muscle surgery to treat misaligned eyes (strabismus). This procedure makes your eye muscles either tighter or looser and aligns the position of your eyes so they’re centered and can work together.
Surgery can correct squints and is usually an effective treatment for squint.
Squint surgery is indicated when the eye shows constant misalignment, the squint is obvious, to correct troublesome double vision or when the binocular function starts to show loss of 3-D. Surgery is only used if other treatments are not effective. It can realign the eyes and restore binocular vision. Sometimes both eyes need to be operated on to get the right balance.
- ConsultationA thorough consultation with our expert surgeon will be conducted. We will discuss your goals, medical history, and perform a detailed eye examination to assess the degree of squint, examine the retina for any retinal diseases that could give rise to squint and to clarify which muscles need to be changed. If you have a history of prior eye muscle surgery, the doctor will want to review your past operative reports.
- Preparation: Before the surgery, you might need to stop some medications , stop eating and drinking by midnight before surgery . Our care team provide you with detailed instructions and address all your inquiries regarding your surgery..
- Anesthesia: Surgery is done with general anesthesia for all kids and most adults..
- The Procedure: Our surgeons use advanced techniques to achieve the desired results. the surgeon detaches part of the muscle connected to the eye and moves it into a new position so that the eyes point in the same direction. The muscles are fixed in their new position with dissolvable stitches – these are hidden behind the eye so you will not be able to see them afterwards. The surgery takes anywhere from about 30 minutes to two hours
Sometimes, in adults and teenagers, further adjustments to your eye muscles may be made when you've woken up after the operation. Local anaesthetic eyedrops are used to numb your eyes for this.
- Recovery: Your eye will likely be sore and red for at least a few days. You may be given painkillers to reduce discomfort and some eyedrops to help with healing. You might have double vision for almost a week.
- Rest and Recuperation: On average, you might need one week off work and full activities after a squint operation.
- Results Expectations: It can take several weeks to fully recover from squint surgery. The operation can only help the squint. It will not improve the level of your eyesight. Many people who’ve had the surgery report increased self-confidence.
Strabismus surgery FAQs
You can have strabismus surgery on one or both eyes. Bilateral strabismus surgery is the term for when you have the surgery on both eyes.
- Resection is the procedure in which surgeons make the muscle shorter by cutting it.
- Plication is the type where they make the muscle shorter by folding it over.
- Recession the procedure in which the muscle is being moved back to make it less tight.
- An Adjustable surgery is where the doctor can adjust the muscle sutures to correct for remaining misalignment in the recovery area or clinic soon after strabismus surgery in the operating room. An adjustable operation allows us to ‘fine tune’ the position of the eyes and can help to improve the success of the operation.
Yes, you’ll still need to wear your glasses after surgery. Strabismus surgery doesn’t typically change your glasses prescription and won’t change the clarity of your vision.
Strabismus surgery can improve the way your eyes work together with stereo (3D) vision. This is especially true for children. Having strabismus surgery corrects alignment but may not improve vision. However, many people who’ve had the surgery think the surgery is worth it because they have improved self-confidence and a better appearance.
You’ll need anywhere from a few days to weeks of rest after your surgery. Your eyes could be red for weeks and may feel sore or scratchy. They won’t fully heal for about three to 12 weeks. however, you can resume your normal daily activities within few days.
If the squint occurs early in life a child may have trouble in developing stereopsis. 3 d vision. Remember if you don’t correct this early , this effect can be permanent, or they may develop lazy eye / amblyopia – as a result of squint. If the alignment is not corrected at an early stage, the brain will receive a blurry image, and the effect will be permanent. In adults , if left untreated squint can cause double vision which can be troublesome .In addition, there is the psychological effects that can impact self-confidence and self-esteem.
