What is a Squint? What can cause a squint? Treatment Your Orthoptist is available to As not all squints are the same, In some cases there may be no answer any further questions treatment will vary from case to obvious reason for a squint. about childhood squints, and case, and your Orthoptist will However, often a squint is due to a relate specifically to your case as keep you informed. The majority variety of reasons such as: required. of cases require a combination of the following: A Squint affects the positioning of Congenital the eyes, and often prevents both A congenital squint means a child Glasses eyes working together as a pair. has been born with a squint. A glasses test will be performed by Types of Squints Need for Glasses the hospital Optometrist. To Some children may be long-sighted achieve the most accurate results, and need glasses. The child over eye drops are used at this appointment. If a need for glasses is Not all squints are the same. Squints focuses to see clearly without the found, these are given for full time may be constant, they may be there glasses and the effort required doing wear to improve the child’s eyesight. all the time, or they can be this can lead to one eye Glasses may also improve the intermittent. turning/squinting. position of the eyes, and correct or A squinting eye may turn inwards Children can also be short sighted, improve the squint. towards the nose, or turn outwards. which occasionally leads to a squint. (Although this will only happen when Some can also turn up or the glasses are being worn). downwards. It is often the case that Family History squints worsen if the child feels A family history of squint or glasses particularly tired or unwell. has been found to increase the risk of childhood squints. Some squints are not affected by glasses, and not all children with a squint will require glasses. Squints are usually present in just Associated Health Conditions one eye at a time, although they Some health conditions (such as may sometimes swap between the prematurity, Down’s syndrome, two eyes. trauma) may make it more likely that Where glasses are given to improve your child will develop a squint. a child’s eyesight, full time wear is advised. Patching or Eye Drop Pseudo-Squint Amblyopia (a lazy eye) may develop because of a squint. Because the two You may have been told that your eyes are not working together as a pair, child does not have a squint, the brain often ignores what the despite your concerns that you squinting eye sees. This causes unequal development and the vision see a turn in their eyes. PATIENT INFORMATION may drop in the eye that turns. To treat the amblyopic eye, an eye patch or Some babies and young children drops are used to prevent the use of the can appear to have a squint, straight, ‘good eye’ to make the lazy although in fact their eyes are Squint eye work and improve the vision. working together as a pair. This is Remember: Patching will not known as a pseudo-squint, and is (Strabismus) improve the position of the squinting usually due to excess skin over the eye, just the vision. bridge of the nose (called the Orthoptic Department Surgery epicanthus) covering the inner part Some squints may be suitable for an of the eyes and giving them an operation to improve the position of the unequal appearance. This is likely to eyes. This is performed by the hospital Ophthalmologist if required. improve as the child gets older, as the bridge of the nose will grow. The Remember: Surgery will not improve Orthoptist will want to perform some the vision, just the position of the tests to ensure the vision in either squinting eye. eye is developing equally, and prove Sometimes no active treatment is required, although you will be reviewed that the two eyes are working regularly in the hospital by your binocularly (as a pair). It may take Orthoptist. more than one appointment to Contact details confidently prove this. TorbayAndSouthDevonFT @TorbaySDevonNHS www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk For further assistance or to receive this Working with you, for you information in a different format, please contact the department which created this 25066 V2/Ophthalmology/TSDFT/09.20/Review date 09.22 leaflet..