Squint in Children (Strabismus) – Symptoms and Causes

What is a Squint (Strabismus)?

In terms of vision, a squint, also known as strabismus, is a condition where the eyes are not aligned properly. One or both eyes may turn inward, outward, upward, or downward. This misalignment can affect depth perception and lead to double vision if untreated.

In terms of facial expression, to “squint” is to narrow your eyes, typically due to bright light, to focus more sharply, or when trying to see something clearly. Usually, strabismus can be observed in newborns, and this condition can be cured only if it is treated at an early age (before the kid turns 7 or 8 years old). However, when kids complete 8 years, the visual pathways are developed properly, and it becomes impossible to correct squint in children.

Causes

• Congenital Issues

This is when babies are born with a squinted eye. It is not clear why some babies are born with this condition, though. You see this type of squint by the time your baby completes 6 months. The imbalances in your baby’s eye muscles may result in congenital esotropia (when the eye muscles are turned inwards) or congenital exotropia (when the eye muscles are turned outwards).

• Refractive Issues

Here, one eye of the child may be turned, and the normal eye has to do all the work. This condition is mostly visible in children aged 2 or more. The common refractive errors that cause this condition are short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hypermetropia) and vision distortion due to the improper curving of the eye (astigmatism). Mostly, squints are related to long-sightedness.

• Other Reasons

Although there is no particular reason for the formation of a squinted eye in babies, research has indicated that the following conditions may cause a squinted eye – cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, brain injuries, other nerve and brain disorders, babies born prematurely, underweight babies, and rare eye cancers.

Symptoms

Watch out for these symptoms to identify squint eye in children —

• The inward or outward direction of the squinted eye; in some rare cases, the affected eye may also be turned upward (hypertropia) or downward (hypotropia)

• Constantly moving eyes in different directions once the baby completes 3 months of age

• Lazy eye formation after 3 months, with one eye stopping to function gradually as the kid grows up

• Misalignment of the eyes, as the baby’s eyes don’t move in the same direction

• Squint symptoms are clearly visible when kids are tired, as they strain a lot to see things placed in certain directions

What are the problems caused by squint eyes in your baby?

Squint in children may not affect newborns much, as that’s the time when the vision is developing for all babies. However, once your child crosses one year, the effects of a squinted eye slowly start to crop up. Some common problems caused due to this condition are —

• Amblyopia

Also known as the lazy eye, this condition happens when children have a vision impairment in one eye. In a squinted eye, the brain cannot process the image it sees, as the visual pathways are not formed properly internally. Hence, it totally ignores anything it sees. Your kid uses only one for vision forever.

Treatment of amblyopia is possible only when this condition is treated before the kid is 7 or 8 years old. By this age, the visual pathways of the kid are fully developed; hence, the lazy eye has already become a permanent issue and cannot be treated. Your kid has to live with this condition permanently.

• Stress

A squinted eye may cause a slight problem with one’s appearance. Hence, as kids grow up, they may feel slightly inferior to their peers because of this condition. This inferiority complex can lead to stress and depression in some kids.

• Inability to judge distances

Over time, your kid will lose his/her vision completely in the squinted eye, making it very difficult for him/her to judge objects/people from a distance. Due to the lazy eye, kids often struggle with conditions like double vision and blurred vision.

When To See A Doctor?

Check for your baby’s eye alignment regularly. If you notice any misalignment (clearly visible when he/she is around 1.5 to 2 months old), take your baby to a doctor right away. When squint eye in babies is diagnosed and treated early, the condition can be reversed.

Visit a doctor when you find your baby turning his/her eyes toward all directions frequently, especially when the child is unwell. Sometimes, your baby may also close his/her eyes when viewing something as he/she cannot handle the strain caused in the affected eye. Watch out for these small cues and visit your doctor at the earliest to cure this.