Guest Author - Jeanette Norman

These 2 topics are close to my heart because I grew up suffering from both strabismus and amblyopia and I want to educate teachers and parents especially about these eye conditions because there are treatments that are available to today’s families that weren’t available when I was a child.

Strabismus is simply a misalignment of the eyes. A child’s eye(s) seem to wander or lack focus. The eyes may appear crossed, or one drifts right, left, or up. There are 2 types of strabismus. There is one that is constant which is the eye(s) are always misaligned and then there is intermittent meaning it happens once in awhile.

This condition usually is present at birth and runs in family histories. If there is no family history, then there is usually a more serious vision problem.

There a few treatment options for strabismus. Usually if it is caught early enough it can be corrected with glasses. The center of the brain that controls the coordination in the eyes can not be operated on but a doctor can operate on the eye muscles to help realign the eyes. I was supposed to get this operation done but my parents couldn’t afford it. If it goes untreated, the brain slowly shuts down the vision of the eye that is affected which can lead to amblyopia (described below). This has happened to me. It is hard to describe what I see through my eyes. Imagine walking around with one eye closed. That is how I see. When I wear my glasses, I have double vision but my brain only sees out of my right eye. And on top of only “seeing” out of one eye, my good eye has an astigmatism in it.

So amblyopia is the result of the brain shutting off or suppressing the vision in one eye due to a misalignment in the other eye. Between 3 and 6 percent of children of preschool age develop amblyopia. Treatment is most successful at this age because it is at such an early age. Older children can benefit from treatments and regain some vision loss. But left alone, it can cause permanent, nonreversible vision problems. I inquired about my vision at my last visit to the eye doctor and was told my vision is too far gone to do anything about it and in the next 5 to 10 years I may be considered legally blind in that eye. I can’t drive because I have no peripheral vision in my left eye (which is the eye that is affected by the strabismus).

It is hard to recognize amblyopia just by looking at a child because child can and will learn to function with vision from only one eye. Annual visits to an eye doctor are extremely important to catch this eye defect. You can test your child’s vision at home by covering one eye and holding a picture up for the child to identify. Keep moving away from the child until they can’t see the picture or it begins to blur. Mark the spot. Then do this with the other eye. Can he see at the same distance with both eyes? If you have any concerns, make an appointment to see an ophthalmologist to determine if the eye sight is normal.

Treating amblyopia can be done by correcting the vision with glasses or removal of a cataract. Then use of eye exercises may strengthen the vision in the weaker eye.