Crossed Eyes
There are a few kinds of crossed eyes:
- One eye going outwards all the time (constant exotropia)
- One eye going outwards sometimes (intermittent exotropia)
- Hidden outwards eye turn at far or near (large exophoria at far or near)
- One eye going inwards all the time (constant esotropia)
- One eye going inwards without farsighted glasses (accommodative esotropia)
As you can see, the baby above has his right eye turned in. When anyone' eye turns in, it's usually all of the time.
The exception is when he tries to look too close, but his focusing is lagging, so his eye turns in to see close up, until a +5.00 (or some other plus lenses) gives his eye enough focus power to see up close.
When a child comes in for an eye exam, the mother usually thinks his eyes may be turned in. Sometimes it can be for larger skins over the nose making the eyes look more inwards. When in doubt, get the child an eye exam with an Optometrist.
When the eye goes outwards, it's quite obvious to the parents. Sometimes, the eye would go outwards when the child is overwhelmed. If they are stressed, and can't bring their eyes back straight, they need vision therapy for training their brain to call the eyes back, and to keep it there straight.
If the two eyes are crossed for too long, sometimes the brain can give up on one eye from the confusion of two different images, causing lazy eye (amblyopia).
Children are recommended to have their eye examined by an Optometrist starting at age 6 months. Get checked yearly. If the child's eyes are looking crossed inwards or outwards, there is help, Dr. Liang is able to help to train their eyes back. It starts with a more extensive binocular vision exam.
Dr. Yan Ling Liang
Markham Optometrist
www.wardenoptometry.ca
Contact Warden Optometry to book your appointment today.