Lazy eye, a condition where one eye's gaze deviates, is medically termed strabismus. This condition can manifest as esotropia (cross-eyed) or exotropia (wall-eyed). The issue arises when the brain starts to depend more on the dominant eye, causing the neural pathways linked to the weaker eye to underdevelop, potentially leading to blindness in that eye.Traditionally, the standard remedy for a mildly lazy eye has been to cover the dominant eye with an eyepatch, compelling the weaker eye to work harder and improve. Alternatively, eyedrops can be as effective as an eyepatch in treating a moderate lazy eye and preventing amblyopia. These drops are administered daily to the stronger eye. Atropine in the drops blurs rather than blocks vision in the stronger eye.In cases of severe strabismus, surgical intervention might be necessary. This surgery aims to adjust the tension of the small muscles surrounding the eye, known as the extraocular muscles, which facilitate eye movement in all directions. Early surgical intervention increases the likelihood of the child developing normal vision.Strabismus surgery might also be required for adults, similar to procedures for children. In some cases, adjustable suture surgery might be employed, especially if previous surgeries, muscle inflammation, or muscle weakness complicate the assessment of necessary muscle tension adjustments. This approach allows for post-operative adjustment of muscle tension to properly align the eyes.
