Why does closing one eye correct strabismus?

Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 23, 2024
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When a patient with strabismus closes one eye, the other deviated eye automatically returns to the correct position, which is a normal phenomenon. Strabismus refers to the direction of the eyes' gaze not being parallel; when one eye is looking straight ahead at a target, the gaze of the other eye will deviate. Based on the direction of deviation, strabismus can be classified into several types such as esotropia (inward deviation), exotropia (outward deviation), and vertical strabismus. When one eye is covered, the originally deviated eye will move to the correct position to clearly see the target directly in front; however, the covered eye will then exhibit deviation. Therefore, strabismus is not eliminated but merely appears from an external perspective that the deviated eye has returned to its normal position. To completely eliminate the symptoms of strabismus, surgery is required for correction.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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Does strabismus require dilated refraction?

Strabismus also requires dilated refraction to investigate the causes and characteristics of refractive errors, which include myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and amblyopia. Additionally, it could be related to other eye conditions. Strabismus in adolescents is mostly caused by amblyopia and sometimes congenital issues. If strabismus is solely due to refractive errors, it can typically be corrected gradually through dilated refraction and proper eyeglass fitting. However, congenital strabismus generally requires surgical treatment. Therefore, it is quite necessary to perform dilated refraction again in cases of strabismus.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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Can strabismus be redone if it recurs?

After strabismus surgery, if the eye alignment is still incorrect, reoperation should be considered only after six months. Additionally, one should consider the uncorrected visual acuity, corrected visual acuity, eye movement, and the condition of the eye muscles to determine whether the issue is due to refractive errors or eye muscle paralysis. Reoperation must be approached with caution. The primary cause of strabismus is an issue with the eye muscles, and this can lead to various eye diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct thorough ophthalmological examinations and pay attention to the eye movement and the condition of the binocular vision system.

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home-news-image
Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
57sec home-news-image

Why does closing one eye correct strabismus?

When a patient with strabismus closes one eye, the other deviated eye automatically returns to the correct position, which is a normal phenomenon. Strabismus refers to the direction of the eyes' gaze not being parallel; when one eye is looking straight ahead at a target, the gaze of the other eye will deviate. Based on the direction of deviation, strabismus can be classified into several types such as esotropia (inward deviation), exotropia (outward deviation), and vertical strabismus. When one eye is covered, the originally deviated eye will move to the correct position to clearly see the target directly in front; however, the covered eye will then exhibit deviation. Therefore, strabismus is not eliminated but merely appears from an external perspective that the deviated eye has returned to its normal position. To completely eliminate the symptoms of strabismus, surgery is required for correction.

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home-news-image
Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
46sec home-news-image

Can strabismus and myopia be treated at the same time?

Surgery for strabismus and myopia cannot be performed at the same time. Strabismus involves surgery to adjust the eye muscles. There are two surgical methods for myopia: one is corneal laser ablation surgery, and the other is ACL surgery. Myopia surgery mainly requires stable vision, the patient must be over 18 years old, have a strong desire to stop wearing glasses, and have a clear diagnosis from examinations, then surgery can be considered. Strabismus must be classified; early stage paralytic strabismus is generally not advised for surgery. Concomitant strabismus may be treated surgically. If there is also refractive error, dilated refraction and prescription glasses should also be considered.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Does strabismus diplopia occur in the early stages or later stages?

Patients with strabismus often exhibit symptoms of double vision in the early stages of the condition. Strabismus is a common ophthalmologic disease characterized by non-parallel visual directions of the eyes and uncoordinated eyeball movements. When one eye looks straight ahead at a target, the visual direction of the other eye may deviate. Based on the direction of deviation, strabismus can be further divided into types such as esotropia, exotropia, and vertical strabismus. Due to the inconsistent visual directions of both eyes in strabismus patients, the scenes viewed by each eye are different. The brain cannot merge the different views from both eyes, resulting in the appearance of double vision symptoms. The more severe the symptoms of strabismus, the more pronounced the symptoms of double vision typically are, and strabismus can be treated surgically to eliminate symptoms.