Strabismus is a condition where the eyes do not align properly. One eye might turn inward, outward, upward, or downward while the other remains focused. This condition is commonly observed in children, but it can also affect adults. For many, glasses are a primary treatment.
How Glasses Work to Correct Alignment
Strabismus often arises from uncorrected refractive errors, particularly farsightedness. When farsighted, the eyes must exert extra focusing effort to see clearly. This increased focusing, or accommodation, can trigger an inward turning of the eyes, known as accommodative esotropia.
Glasses correct these refractive errors, reducing the demand on the eye’s internal focusing muscles. This lessened effort allows the eyes to relax their convergence, helping them to align properly. In some instances, specialized prism lenses can be incorporated into glasses to bend light, helping to fuse the images from both eyes.
Key Factors Affecting Correction Time
The time it takes for glasses to correct strabismus varies based on several factors. The type of strabismus plays a role; accommodative esotropia generally responds well to glasses. Other forms of strabismus may not achieve full correction with glasses alone, sometimes requiring additional interventions.
A patient’s age significantly influences the outcome, with earlier intervention in children often leading to better development of binocular vision, where both eyes work together. While glasses can still improve alignment and manage symptoms in adults, the potential for restoring complete binocularity might be different compared to childhood treatment. The initial severity of the eye misalignment also affects treatment duration. Mild deviations may resolve more quickly with glasses, whereas more pronounced or constant misalignments might take longer or require combined therapies.
Consistent and full-time wear of the prescribed glasses is important for effective treatment. Poor compliance can hinder the correction process. Furthermore, co-occurring vision issues, such as amblyopia, can complicate treatment. Amblyopia, a reduction in vision in one eye, frequently accompanies strabismus and requires its own management, sometimes involving patching the stronger eye, alongside glasses.
What to Expect During Treatment
Once glasses are prescribed for strabismus, there is typically an initial adjustment period as the patient adapts to wearing them. This phase can take a few days to several weeks. It is important for the glasses to be worn consistently and as prescribed to allow the eyes to fully benefit from the optical correction.
Regular follow-up appointments with an eye care professional are scheduled to monitor progress. These visits allow for precise adjustments to the prescription and assessment of eye alignment. Initially, follow-ups might be frequent, such as every few weeks or months, becoming less frequent as stability is achieved. Improvement in eye alignment with glasses is often a gradual process, occurring over several months rather than immediately. Patients should understand that even with successful correction using glasses, the eyes may still misalign when the glasses are removed.
Understanding Other Treatment Options
While glasses are a common initial approach for managing strabismus, some cases may require additional or alternative interventions if alignment is not sufficiently achieved. These options are considered when glasses alone do not provide the desired outcome.
Other treatments include patching, which is often used to address amblyopia that may coexist with strabismus by encouraging the weaker eye to develop better vision. Vision therapy involves a series of exercises designed to improve eye coordination and the way the eyes and brain work together. In certain situations, eye muscle surgery may be recommended to physically realign the eyes. The specific course of treatment is determined by an eye care professional based on the individual’s unique condition.