Strabismus

Overview

The condition is more common in children, but it can also occur later in life. In older children and adults, crossed eyes can be caused by a variety of underlying medical conditions, like cerebral palsy or stroke.

Crossed eyes occur either due to nerve damage or when the muscles around your eyes don’t work together because some are weaker than others. When your brain receives a different visual message from each eye, it ignores the signals coming from your weaker eye.

If your condition isn’t corrected, you may lose vision in your weaker eye.

Crossed eyes are common in children. Often the underlying cause is unknown. Infantile esotropia is a type of crossed eyes that appears in babies during their first year of life.

Esotropia runs in families and usually requires surgery to correct. Acquired esotropia occurs in children usually between the ages of 2 and 5. Eyeglasses can usually correct it.

Crossed eyes can also occur later in life. It’s usually caused by physical disorders, like eye injuries, cerebral palsy, or stroke. You may also develop crossed eyes if you have a lazy eye or are farsighted.

Types of Strabismus

One eye or both eyes may turn either inward (esotropia), outward (exotropia), upward (hypertropia) or downward (hypotropia). Strabismus may be constant or intermittent.

Other classifications of strabismus include: The frequency with which it occurs—either constant or intermittent Whether it always involves the same eye—unilateral If the turning eye is sometimes the right eye and other times the left eye—alternating.