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Crossed Eyes Crossed eyes, or strabismus, as it is medically termed, is a condition in which both eyes do not look at the same place at the same time. It occurs when an eye turns in, out, up or down and is usually caused by poor eye muscle control or a high degree of farsightedness. When the eyes are misaligned or "crossed", the brain receives two significantly different pictures. At first, this may cause a child to see double. Eventually, the brain learns to ignore the image from the turned eye. This can lead to a permanent reduction of vision in that eye, a condition known as lazy eye or amblyopia. Eye turning may be constant or appear only at certain times, such as when a child is tired, ill, or has done a lot of reading or close work. In some cases, the same eye may turn each time, while other times the turning may alternate between eyes. Strabismus usually develops in infants and young children, most often by age 3. There is a common misconception that a child with strabismus will outgrow the condition. But that's not true. In babies, it is possible to have a pseudostrabismus or "false strabismus" where the infant's eyes appear to be misaligned, but aren't. The appearance of crossed eyes may be due to extra skin covering the inner corner of the eyes, or a wide bridge of the baby's nose. Usually, this appearance of crossed eyes will disappear as the baby grows. However, any child older than four months whose eyes do not appear to be straight all the time should be examined by an eye doctor. Depending on the type and severity, crossed eyes can be treated in a variety of ways including: l Eyeglasses or contact lenses l Prism lenses l Vision therapy l Eye medications l Eye muscle surgery If detected and treated early, crossed eyes can often be corrected with excellent results. |
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