Squint (Strabismus) Evaluation & Correction

Restoring Binocular Alignment and Visual Harmony

Strabismus (commonly referred to as a "squint") is a condition in which the two eyes are not aligned properly and point in different directions. While one eye looks straight ahead at the target object, the other eye may turn inward toward the nose (esotropia), outward toward the ear (exotropia), upward (hypertropia), or downward (hypotropia).

Squints can be constant or intermittent (appearing only when tired or looking into the distance). While frequently detected in early childhood, strabismus can also develop in adults due to thyroid eye disease (Graves' orbitopathy), cranial nerve palsies, diabetic neuropathy, stroke, or eye trauma.

Why Treating Squint is Crucial

• In Children: The developing brain will begin to suppress or "switch off" the visual signal from the misaligned eye to avoid confusing double vision. This leads to permanent visual impairment in that eye known as amblyopia (lazy eye) if not corrected early.
• In Adults: Adult strabismus frequently results in distressing double vision (diplopia), loss of 3D depth perception (stereopsis), severe eye strain, headaches, and social or professional self-consciousness.

Diagnostic Workup at Ulwe Eye Clinic

Dr. Susanta Chatterjee conducts a meticulous strabismus evaluation including:

• Cover-Uncover & Prism Alternating Cover Tests: Accurately measuring the precise angle of ocular deviation in prism diopters across all 9 gazes.
• Cycloplegic Refraction: Checking for high farsightedness (hypermetropia), which frequently triggers accommodative esotropia in young children.
• Binocular Vision & Stereopsis Testing: Assessing whether the brain can fuse both images together for 3D depth perception.
• Ocular Motility Assessment: Evaluating the strength and function of all six extraocular muscles in each eye.

Treatment Options Offered

• Corrective Eyeglasses: In many children with accommodative squint, wearing accurate glasses completely straightens the eyes without any surgery.
• Prism Spectacles: Clear, wedge-shaped prism lenses incorporated into your glasses to optically align dual images and eliminate double vision for adults with mild to moderate deviations.
• Convergence & Orthoptic Exercises: Supervised visual training to retrain eye muscles in cases of convergence insufficiency (difficulty focusing both eyes inward for reading and computer work).
• Precision Extraocular Muscle Surgery: A delicate, outpatient procedure where Dr. Chatterjee repositions, loosens (recession), or tightens (resection) selected eye muscles on the outside of the eyeball to rebalance eye movement. The surgery requires no stitches removal (absorbable sutures are used) and allows rapid return to normal activities within days.