Strabismus affects many individuals, impacting both appearance and vision. Whether through vision therapy or surgery, our expert eye doctors provide personalized treatment plans to enhance eye coordination.
Strabismus, commonly known as crossed eyes, can affect not only the way a person looks but also how they see the world. It is a condition in which the eyes are misaligned, leading to difficulties with depth perception and overall visual function. Our eye doctors are dedicated to providing individualized treatment that may include vision therapy, surgery, or a combination of both for optimal outcomes.
Strabismus arises when the eyes fail to work together in a coordinated manner, often because the brain does not accurately control the eye muscles. Even though the muscles themselves are often normal, the central processing that helps align the eyes becomes disrupted, resulting in an eye turn that can be inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia), upward, or downward. This misalignment not only challenges clear vision but can also impact self-esteem and quality of life, as the appearance of crossed eyes often attracts unwanted attention and sometimes even emotional distress.
For both children and adults, the misalignment can have real-world consequences—not only in sports, academics, and work performance but also in everyday tasks like reading, writing, or even navigating crowded spaces. When the brain receives two different images, it can lead to double vision or the suppression of one eye’s input to avoid confusion. It is for these reasons that our eye doctors work hard to offer the most effective treatments, empowering patients to experience improved visual function and self-confidence.
Early intervention is key. If strabismus is addressed promptly, non-surgical methods like vision therapy can often help correct the issue without surgery, resulting in both cosmetic and functional improvements. However, in some cases, surgery may be necessary to adjust the eye muscles before following up with vision therapy to ensure long-term benefits.
When deciding between vision therapy and surgery—or sometimes a combination of the two—it is important to understand how each approach works and what they offer. Vision therapy is a series of customized exercises and activities designed to improve eye-brain coordination, strengthen the muscles, and foster the brain’s ability to combine information from both eyes effectively. Surgery, on the other hand, involves adjusting the eye muscles to correct misalignment and create a more balanced appearance, often with the goal of supporting better binocular vision.
Here’s the thing: no two cases of strabismus are exactly alike. Our eye doctors carefully evaluate each patient’s unique condition, considering factors such as age, the severity of the misalignment, and the potential for the eyes to work together after treatment. In some cases, a well-timed surgery may be needed to physically realign the eyes, while in others, a structured program of vision therapy can help the brain re-establish proper coordination and improve overall visual performance.
The decision between these two treatment approaches—or even the decision to combine them—often depends on individual circumstances. Studies and clinical observations have shown that when vision therapy is administered under optimal conditions, success rates can reach as high as 87%, with both cosmetic alignment and functional binocular vision seeing marked improvement. In many cases, vision therapy is carried out either before or after surgery to maximize outcomes, an approach sometimes referred to as the “sandwich” method.
Schedule an appointment with a top optometrist to discuss your treatment options for strabismus and take the first step toward clearer vision.
Vision therapy has been successfully used to treat strabismus for over 100 years, with numerous studies demonstrating its effectiveness in both children and adults. Under ideal clinical conditions, the success rate for vision therapy is remarkable, often achieving normal eye appearance and functional binocular vision in a majority of cases. This therapy involves a comprehensive set of exercises aimed at improving key visual skills like eye movements, focus flexibility, and the brain’s ability to merge images from both eyes into one clear picture.
Some of the benefits of vision therapy include:
Our eye doctors often begin treatment with a thorough evaluation of the patient’s visual motor skills. They focus on establishing a strong foundation by targeting ocular-motor control, localization, and accommodation skills—the building blocks that support more complex sensory fusion. When these essential skills are improved, the brain is better positioned to handle more challenging tasks like merging images and maintaining clear vision even when the eyes are directed in different angles.
This personalized and structured approach is why many experts support vision therapy as a highly effective treatment for strabismus, particularly when the deviation is intermittent or mild to moderate. And when the deviation is more significant, vision therapy can still play a crucial role either before or after surgery to help the brain adjust to the new alignment.
Surgery for strabismus is typically considered when non-surgical methods have not provided sufficient improvement or when the misalignment is too severe to be corrected by vision therapy alone. It may also be recommended in cases where a patient has undergone surgery before but continues to experience significant misalignment, affecting both cosmetic appearance and visual function. The decision to perform surgery is never taken lightly, as it involves adjusting the eye muscles to physically realign the eyes—a step that can lead to its own set of challenges if not managed properly.
Our eye doctors evaluate several key factors before advising surgery, including:
Although surgery can correct the physical misalignment, it does not automatically resolve issues of sensory fusion—the process by which the brain merges the images from both eyes. This is why many patients find that a combination of pre- and post-operative vision therapy leads to the best results. By preparing the visual system before surgery and reinforcing healthy visual pathways afterward, our eye doctors help ensure that the changes achieved through surgery are maintained over the long term.
The surgical process involves risks and challenges, ranging from minor complications like temporary irritation to more significant issues such as infection or the need for additional surgeries. Therefore, every decision regarding surgical intervention is made after thoroughly weighing the benefits against the potential risks, with the patient’s overall visual health and well-being as the top priority.
Schedule an appointment with a top optometrist to discuss your treatment options for strabismus and take the first step toward clearer vision.
Explore the best treatment options for strabismus, including vision therapy and surgery, to improve eye coordination and visual function.
