Strabismus, or “crossed eyes,” is when your eyes don’t line up properly and don’t look in the same direction. This can mess with your vision, causing double vision or poor depth perception, which can really affect your day-to-day life. People of any age can have it, but diagnosing it early is key to reducing its long-term impact.
Vision therapy can cure strabismus by strengthening eye alignment and coordination. It’s more effective for children, especially if started early, but can benefit adults depending on the severity and dedication to a tailored treatment plan. Your or your child’s vision won’t get better by doing nothing. With an eye exam, we can get you on the road to recovery.
What Is Strabismus?
Strabismus is a vision condition where the eyes fail to align properly when focusing on an object. Instead of working together in unison, one eye may drift, wander, or struggle to aim, leading to misalignment. This can be very noticeable, but it can also only happen during moments of intense focus. Don’t get fooled by only thinking of the most dramatic version of crossed eyes.
Strabismus isn’t just a cosmetic concern—it can impact depth perception, binocular vision, and in some cases, even lead to vision loss in the misaligned eye. You may be wondering, if it’s an issue with the eye’s muscles, how can that affect vision? It all comes down to the brain.
When our brain makes an image, it does it by stitching together 2 slightly different images, 1 from each eye. If your right eye isn’t giving the image your brain wants, it has to try extra hard to make those images match. Just like putting extra strain on an engine, our brain gets tired. Unlike an engine, however, our brain can adapt and may choose to ignore the image from the affected eye.
Eventually, the eye gets weaker, so our brain uses it less and less. This can eventually result in amblyopia, or lazy eye. The eye isn’t lazy, it simply isn’t being used to its full potential.
Types of Strabismus
Strabismus presents in several forms, depending on the cause or direction of the misalignment. These include:
- Accommodative esotropia: Often linked to uncorrected farsightedness, leading to inward-turning eyes.
- Intermittent exotropia: Characterized by eyes occasionally drifting outward, particularly when tired or daydreaming.
- Infantile esotropia: Appears during the first 6 months of life, causing a significant inward eye turn. About 5% of children have some degree of strabismus.
Additionally, the direction of the misaligned eye can vary:
- Esotropia: Eye turns inward.
- Exotropia: Eye turns outward.
- Hypertropia: Eye turns upward.
- Hypotropia: Eye turns downward.
Some people think children will outgrow their strabismus, but that’s not true. There is a condition in babies called pseudostrabismus which is caused by small folds of eyelid skin that make it appear as though they have crossed eyes when they don’t. This is more of an optical illusion and it can go away as your baby grows, which may be why some people think babies outgrow strabismus.
Your optometrist can tell the difference between pseudostrabismus and strabismus with an eye exam. Early detection can mean better outcomes for children.
What Is Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy is a non-surgical, customized treatment designed to improve eye coordination, movement, focus, and the brain’s ability to work together with the eyes. A key feature of conditions like strabismus is your child can appear to have 20/20 vision during a sight test, only to still struggle with visual skills they need in school. Traditional methods tend to fail when addressing these issues.
Unlike eyeglasses or contact lenses, which can do an excellent job correcting refractive errors, vision therapy focuses on enhancing the visual system’s functionality.
Vision therapy includes a variety of exercises and tools designed to strengthen the connection between the brain and the eyes. A typical program may involve:
- Eye movement training to help eyes track moving objects smoothly.
- Focus and coordination drills to improve eye alignment and teamwork.
- Specialized equipment, such as lenses, prisms, and computer programs, to target specific visual skills.
This approach is highly individualized, allowing vision therapists to tailor therapy to the patient’s needs and goals.
Can Vision Therapy Treat Strabismus?
Foveal Vision Training has proven effective in improving many symptoms of strabismus, but the results depend on several factors, including the type and severity of the condition, the patient’s age, and their commitment to the therapy routine.
For children, vision therapy is particularly promising when strabismus is detected early. Children’s visual systems are still developing, making them more adaptable to treatment. Vision therapy helps their eyes learn to work together, improving alignment and reducing reliance on corrective devices.
Adults with strabismus can also benefit from vision therapy. However, achieving significant improvements often requires consistent effort over a prolonged period. While some adults may not achieve a “cure” for strabismus, therapy can lead to better eye coordination, reduced double vision, and improved quality of life.
For both children and adults, a comprehensive eye exam is essential to developing a personalized treatment plan. Your optometrist will assess the type of strabismus, the degree of misalignment, and any contributing factors before recommending vision therapy or other interventions.
Take the First Step Toward Clearer Vision
Vision therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, nor is it a replacement for conditions that require other treatment options such as glasses, contact lenses, or—for certain severe cases—surgery. Instead, it serves as a complementary approach with the potential to enhance the effectiveness of other treatments.
If you’re exploring treatments for strabismus, vision therapy offers a non-invasive, tailored solution designed for lasting improvement. With the right care and an individualized plan, you or your loved one can enjoy better eye coordination and comfort.
Dr. Chris Schell and his team specialize in comprehensive vision care, offering vision therapy programs for children and adults alike. Great vision knows no age, so book an appointment to learn more about how vision therapy can support your visual health!
