Frequently Asked Questions
My 6 month old sons eyes wander, should I have him checked?
Strabismus - Crossed-eyes (strabismus) occurs when one or both of your eyes turns in, out, up or down. Poor eye muscle control usually causes crossed-eyes. This misalignment often first appears before age 21 months but may develop as late as age six. This is one reason why the American Optometric Association recommends a comprehensive optometric examination before six months and again at age three. There is a common misconception that a child will outgrow crossed-eyes. This is not true. In fact, the condition may get worse without treatment. Treatment for crossed-eyes may include single vision or bifocal eyeglasses, prisms, vision therapy, and in some cases, surgery. Vision therapy helps align your eyes and solves the underlying cause of crossed-eyes by teaching your two eyes to work together. Surgery alone may straighten your eyes, but unless your eye muscle control is improved, your eyes may not remain straight. If detected and treated early, crossed-eyes can often be corrected with excellent results. Lazy eye - Lazy Eye, or amblyopia, is the loss or lack of development of central vision in one eye that is unrelated to any eye health problem and is not correctable with lenses. It can result from a failure to use both eyes together. Lazy eye is often associated with crossed-eyes or a large difference in the degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness between the two eyes. It usually develops before age six and it does not affect side vision. Symptoms may include noticeably favoring one eye or a tendency to bump into objects on one side. Symptoms are not always obvious. Treatment for lazy eye may include a combination of prescription lenses, prisms, vision therapy and eye patching. Vision therapy teaches the two eyes how to work together, which helps prevent lazy eye from reoccurring. Early diagnosis increases the chance for a complete recovery. This is one reason why the American Optometric Association recommends that children have a comprehensive optometric examination by the age of six months and again at age three. Lazy eye will not go away on its own. If not diagnosed until the pre-teen, teen or adult years, treatment takes longer and is often less effective.
