Amblyopia and strabismus which should be treated first

  The treatment principles for amblyopia combined with strabismus are complex and should be developed on a case-by-case basis. The following are the treatment principles we have developed over the years: (1) Intermittent exotropia: If the child’s visual acuity is balanced in both eyes after amblyopia training, and the visual function of both eyes is found to be gradually deteriorating, consideration can be given to strabismus surgery first, followed by amblyopia training (2) Partially adjusted internal strabismus: After the visual acuity of both eyes is balanced, the child should be operated as soon as possible if there is tertiary visual function. The child should be operated as early as possible in the presence of tertiary visual function, and after the surgery, the child should be refitted with appropriate glasses and then undergo amblyopia treatment.  (3) Constant exotropia: Amblyopia treatment can be considered first, and then strabismus surgery can be performed after the visual acuity has reached normal.  (4) Constant internal strabismus: amblyopia treatment can be considered first, and strabismus surgery can be performed after the visual acuity reaches normal.  (5) Paralytic strabismus: If there is a compensated head position, in order to correct the abnormal development of bones, teeth and neck muscles brought about by the compensated head position as soon as possible, surgery can be considered first, and amblyopia treatment can be performed after the surgery.  (6) For special types of strabismus, such as DVD, different treatment principles are developed according to different conditions.  Why should strabismus surgery not be performed first and then amblyopia treatment?  Some hospitals often give children strabismus treatment first and then instruct them to perform amblyopia training, but it is just not right, because the degree of amblyopia is different for children with strabismus, and of course there are refractive aberrations and severe amblyopia in one eye, so if the arrangement is not reasonable, children who have strabismus surgery need amblyopia training; if monocular coverage is needed, covering the monocular eye often breaks the binocular vision of the child after strabismus correction, i.e., disrupts the fusion, which increases the visual balance of the child. The balance, i.e., disrupting the fusion, increases the basis for the occurrence of new strabismus, and over time it is easy to form new strabismus; children with exotropia are prone to recurrence of strabismus after surgery, and children with internal strabismus are prone to exotropia after surgery.