What is strabismus? What are the dangers of it? When the oculomotor system is in complete balance, the two separated eyes can become the same functional unit and there is no deviation, which is called orthophoria. If the central control is out of balance, the strength of the extraocular muscles is not balanced, the two eyes cannot look at the target at the same time, the visual axis is separated, one eye looks at the target, the other eye deviates from the target, called strabismus. The harm of strabismus: 1. destroys the normal binocular vision, loses the function of stereo vision, and affects higher education and employment. 2, produce amblyopia, if not treated in time, strabismus eyes cause lifelong visual disability. 3. Affects aesthetics, psychological health and social interaction. Principles of strabismus treatment: 1, correction of refractive error by ciliary muscle paralysis optometry 2, amblyopia treatment 3, according to the age of onset, type of strabismus, vision recovery to decide the timing of surgery, do not wait until you grow up to operate, because this is only cosmetic cure, but lost the possibility of functional cure, and cause adverse psychological barriers. Surgery may be considered for non-common strabismus only when the cause has been removed or has been proven to be stable. The image on the left shows a strabismus before surgery, with the corneal reflection point on the outside of the pupil in the left eye, which has an internal strabismus. The right picture shows the postoperative period of strabismus. Before strabismus surgery, the right eye’s corneal reflection point is located on the inner side of the pupil, and the eye has exotropia. The picture on the right is after strabismus surgery. Why is it important to treat strabismus in children in a timely manner? The main effect of strabismus on a child’s eye is that the strabismus automatically gives up its use and visual development is stalled. When the child passes the sensitive period of visual development between 3 and 6 years old, the visual nervous system is already “fixed”, and even if the strabismus is cured by surgery, it is difficult to improve the visual acuity. Strabismus also affects the child’s mental health. Children with strabismus may suffer from greater psychological stress, low self-esteem, introverted personality, and poor socialization. They may also encounter difficulties in choosing a job or a spouse in the future. The purpose of strabismus treatment is to treat amblyopia and establish binocular vision, i.e., stereopsis, in addition to cosmetic effects. Stereopsis is an advanced visual function of the eye, and many jobs in modern life require normal stereopsis. If you wait until your child is older to have surgery for strabismus, not only will the vision of the strabismus not improve, but the stereopsis function will not be restored. Therefore, once you confirm that your child has strabismus, you should go to the hospital immediately for examination and treatment without delay. How to detect strabismus in children? Parents use a flashlight at home to shine on the child’s two pupils at a distance of 30 to 40 cm, and determine whether the child’s eye position is normal or not based on the light point of the flashlight. Some children have the problem of tilting their heads to look at things, which is called strabismus, the most common of which is called ocular strabismus, a special type of strabismus caused by strabismus. Please visit the strabismus clinic of a regular hospital as soon as you find out that your child has strabismus, and children as young as 3 years old should visit the pediatric optometry clinic regularly.