Strabismus is defined as a misalignment of the eyes. The most common types of Strabismus are Esotropia, where the eye turns inward towards the nose, and Exotropia, where the eye turns outward towards the ear. When an eye turns, both eyes are not pointing at the same object simultaneously and an individual can experience double vision. Double vision is extremely overwhelming for the brain. The brain will begin to ignore information from one eye. This is problematic because if the brain is only receiving information from one eye then binocular vision cannot be achieved. Binocular vision is the eyes working together as a team and communicating effectively with the brain. Poor binocular vision results in reduced or lack of depth perception. Strabismus can lead to Amblyopia from lack of visual information to one eye.
The best treatment for Strabismus is Vision Therapy. Vision Therapy can improve binocular vision and depth perception along with other functional vision skills in addition to cosmetic improvements. That makes Vision Therapy a continual, effective, non-surgical treatment resulting in more comfortable and efficient vision.
Why not surgery or patching?
Surgery or patching are common but outdated treatments for strabismus. The latest neuroscience says that Vision Therapy is even better with more successful outcomes.
Surgery only treats the cosmetic elements of strabismus. It does not promote binocular vision, which is key in developing depth perception. After surgery the eyes may be straightened cosmetically but the brain is still wired to continue to use only one eye at a time. This can cause double vision or suppression of visual input, which can lead to the eye to turn again. Strabismus is not an eye problem, it is a brain problem. An eye turns from poor communication between the eyes and brain. The best way to solve this communication problem and facilitate teamwork is building a strong visual foundation by learning new functional visual skills in Vision Therapy.
Patching an eye only works to improve one eye at a time. Its main goal is to improve eyesight but good eyesight does not equal good vision. Our goal is teamwork among the eyes and cannot be achieved with patching. Regression may occur because patching does not train both eyes to work together, also creating a lack of binocular vision.