Strabismus in newborns: treatment methods, consequences of disease development

When a child's eyes are squinting, this worries the parents very much. And all without exception, the question is when the strabismus disappears, and whether it is dangerous for the baby.

Parents are not worried for nothing. Strabismus is a serious problem that requires close attention. Fortunately, this problem is treated, but if this is not done, then in the future the quality of the child's vision will suffer greatly.

In this article, we will discuss very important questions: why there is strabismus, how to diagnose it and how to get rid of strabismus.

Definition of disease

Strabismus or strabismus is a violation of the position of the eye, which arises from the weakness of the eye muscles and the lack of control of their work from the brain.

Newborn babies can not yet adjust the position of the eyes, which is why their eyeballs deviate in different directions. Parents notice this and begin to search for the reason.

Strabismus is a common phenomenon in childhood. In the first month after the birth of the child, strabismus should not be frightened, since this is not a pathological deviation from physiological norms. With age, the muscles of the eyes become stronger, and then the child can control the movement of his eyeballs independently. This can take from two to six months.

if after half a year the squint has not disappeared, then it is necessary to show the child to the ophthalmologist. The specialist will help and give recommendations on how to solve this problem.

Types and Classifications

There are many classifications of strabismus. Next, consider a few of the most common:

1. By type of deviationstrabismus is convergent (esotropia), divergent (exotropy), vertical and mixed. With convergent strabismus, the eyes move toward the bridge of the nose, and with the divergent approach to the temple. Vertical strabismus is characterized by the shift of the eyes upwards (hypertropy) or down (hypotrophy).
2. By time of occurrence: congenital strabismus and acquired.
3. By eye involvementit is divided into monolateral and alternating. Monolateral (one-sided) strabismus - mowing one eye, alternating (alternating) - alternate mowing.
4. By deviation time: constant strabismus and periodic.

Allocate friendly strbizm, which has three types:

1. Accommodation. It manifests itself two or three years after birth. The accommodative strabismus arises from the presence of myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. To help the baby, the doctor prescribes corrective glasses or lenses for him and treatment on special devices.
2. Partially-accommodative and non-accommodating. These types of strabismus may appear one to two years after birth. Glasses and lenses in this case can not completely help get rid of strabismus, so a surgical operation is required.
3. Paralytic Strabismusis manifested in the fact that the eye can not move at all, or its movement is limited. It occurs in the case of muscles or nerves. Paralytic strabismus can be congenital or acquired (the result of injuries, infections).

In most cases, newborn children have convergent strabismus, rarely divergent. In all cases, the baby should be shown to the ophthalmologist. A favorable outcome will depend on timely assistance to the child.

Causes

The main cause of strabismus in newborn babies is still undeveloped eye muscles. Over time, they become stronger and can keep their eyes in the necessary position.

strabismus in children can occur due to difficult pregnancy and childbirth. With complications during pregnancy, hypoxia often develops and the blood supply of the fetus is impaired. This can lead to small hemorrhages in the brain in the child. In this case, the strabismus can be eliminated only with the help of the operation.

If the baby has had flu, colds, measles and other diseases, then there is a possibility of occurrence of strabismus.Therefore, during illness, parents should ensure that the child's eyes are as tired as possible.

It should also be noted that strabismus is inherited.If one of the parents had such problems with vision, then it is possible that the child will also have strabismus.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of strabismus in children:

1. Eyes can not move together.
2. It is impossible to simultaneously direct both eyes to the same point.
3. One eye can mow and close under the influence of bright light.
4. Necessity in turning the head to look at the object.
5. The perception of space is violated (collision with objects when moving).

Symptoms of friendly strabismus:

• When fixing a stationary object, one of the eyes is in a state of deflection in any direction.
• The alternating deviation of one or the other eye.
• The angle of deflection of the mowing eye is almost always equal to the angle of deviation of the pair eye.
• The mobility of the eye is preserved in full in all directions.
• There is no double vision before the eyes.
• There is no binocular vision.
• There may be a decrease in sight in the mowing eye.

Possible complications

Strabismus can negatively affect the development of the psyche in children.Because of this disease, the perception of the surrounding world is disturbed, physical and mental development may be slowed down.

A complication such as amblyopia or a "lazy eye" is not uncommon.With this disease, the vision on the mowing eye is sharply reduced as a result of an insufficient visual load on his muscles.

Treatment

With strabismus, usually the ability to see normally remains only the eye that performs the vision.The mowing eye sees over time the worse, so treatment should begin as early as possible. Treatment of strabismus in newborns can be medicated and surgical.

Medication

Treatment by this method takes a long time. But you need to remember, you need to start it as soon as possible. Stages of treatment of strabismus in children:

1. First, a complex diagnosis is carried out.It is necessary in order to determine the type of strabismus and the causes of its appearance.
2. After this, a vision correction is performed using glasses or contact lenses. The latter can be used already in adolescence.
3. Amblyopia is treated to improve visual acuity.
4. Then the treatment is aimed at the development of binocular vision. Orthoptic and diplomatic procedures are conducted.
5. Strengthening the effect of treatment.
6. After this, work on stereoscopic vision takes place.

There are modern methods of treatment of strabismus - this is reflexology. For this, the toddler is made with a point massage of the nerve centers, which affect the work of the eye muscles. It is an additional method to the basic treatment.

to cure strabismus can help special exercises for the eyes. In modern ophthalmology rooms there are special simulators and apparatus.

Surgically

Surgical intervention is used when it is necessary to eliminate the external manifestations of strabismus.The operation is aimed at aligning the muscles of the eyes and improving the eyesight. However, there is no guarantee that vision will be restored completely.

Surgical treatment to correct strabismus is performed under local anesthesia.On the same day the child is discharged home. Full recovery takes approximately one week, but after the operation it is recommended to undergo a course of hardware treatment to restore visual functions.

In most cases, one operation is required, but if necessary, after a couple of years, do the second.

Surgery

After surgery, the baby will have to wear glasses.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of strabismus in the child, it is necessary to start working as early as possible on strengthening the eye muscles and restoring the work of both eyes.

So, for example, above a crib of the kid it is possible to hang out a large bright toy. It should hang at a distance of half a meter from the eyes. So the child is easier to focus the look.

Do not sit with the newborn in front of the TV. The hearing of the kids is very good, so they begin to look for the source of the sound with their eyes. In addition, there is an overexcitement of the nervous system.

AlsoDo not forget about an early examination of a child from an ophthalmologistfor the timely detection of strabismus.

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conclusions

Strabismus is common in newborns. It is natural at this age, because the muscles of the eyes are not yet strong enough.

Parents should remember that if strabismus persists for six months, then it is necessary to consult with an ophthalmologist.