What is eye muscle surgery or squint surgery?
A minimally invasive treatment called eye muscle surgery is used to treat either one or both eyes that are squinting. To fix the anatomical problems that cause crossed eyes, the ophthalmologist or eye surgeon loosens, tightens, or moves the eye muscles.
The procedure takes between 40 and 60 minutes and is done as an outpatient. The best outcomes from strabismus surgery are obtained in children under the age of six. Adults have a decent success rate as well, however the corrected eye can deviate significantly.
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Best Eye Doctor For Squint Surgery In India
Dr. Suraj Munjal
- MBBS, MS ,
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Dr. Pratik Ranjan Sen
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Dr. Dharitri Samantaray
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Best Eye Hospital for Squint Surgery in India
The Sight Avenue Eye Hospital
243 P, Sector 38, near Bakhtawar Chowk, Gurugram, Haryana 122001
Mon to Sat, 9am to 7pm
All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi
Ansari Nagar East, Gautam Nagar, Ansari Nagar East, New Delhi, Delhi 110029
Open 24 Hours
Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital
222, TT Krishnamachari Rd, near Raj Park Hotel, Parthasarathypuram, Alwarpet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018
Mon to Sat, 9am to 8pm
Sharan Nethralaya
STBT Cross, Opposite Pragnaya school, Chakkar Katta, Maktampura, Kalaburagi, Karnataka 585101
Mon to Sat, 10am to 8pm
What is eye muscle surgery or squint surgery?
A minimally invasive treatment called eye muscle surgery is used to treat either one or both eyes that are squinting. To fix the anatomical problems that cause crossed eyes, the ophthalmologist or eye surgeon loosens, tightens, or moves the eye muscles.
The procedure takes between 40 and 60 minutes and is done as an outpatient. The best outcomes from strabismus surgery are obtained in children under the age of six. Adults have a decent success rate as well, however the corrected eye can deviate significantly.
How does Squint Eye Treatment work?
Squint eye, also known as strabismus, is typically identified during a routine eye checkup. A paediatric ophthalmologist diagnoses the problem specifically in kids. A specialist in ophthalmology will make the diagnosis in teenagers and adults.
In order to determine the cause of strabismus, the eye specialist will first compile information about your general health and medical history. To determine whether the patient also has refractive problems, a standard visual acuity exam and refraction test are performed.
The following tests are used to identify the kind of strabismus and the severity of the condition. To check whether the eyes are moving and focusing in unison, an alignment and focus test is performed to see how the eyes are moving and focusing collectively.
In order to rule out any underlying diseases that might be the source of strabismus, the internal tissues of the eye are also checked. One particular examination that examines ocular alignment is the Hirschberg Corneal Reflex test. It establishes the location where the light is cast. It aids in determining the kind of strabismus.
The doctor suggests the best course of action for treating squint eyes after a precise diagnostic.
How to get ready for eye surgery?
Pre-operative patient evaluations are the first step in the preparation for squint surgery. To determine whether the procedure can be carried out safely, some significant tests will be carried out. You will receive detailed instructions from the doctor and his or her medical staff in order to get you ready for the surgery. The following will typically be included in the instructions:
- Medications including aspirin, ibuprofen, warfarin, and other blood-thinning medicines need to be avoided.
- Unless the surgeon specifically instructs you otherwise, avoid eating or drinking anything 4–8 hours prior to the procedure.
- While taking the prescribed drugs, consume a little water.
- Put on relaxed clothing. Although it is not necessary, it will be simpler to remove your clothes and change into a hospital gown before the procedure.
- As all hair and makeup products include chemicals, avoid using them.
- You'll need to bring your identification card, as well as details about your health insurance, to get admitted.
No matter if the surgery is being performed on an adult or a child, it's crucial to have company. Additionally, you'll require transportation home following the procedure. Before the procedure, a member of the medical staff will get in touch with you to make sure you're ready and to provide you all the information you need, including any possible dangers.
Complications & Risks
Although strabismus surgery is generally a safe procedure, it still has significant risks and potential problems. Typical issues that you can encounter include:
- Immediate Side Effects: These may include complications from the anesthesia or an eye infection. Without having negative long-term effects, these problems can be resolved.
- Exophthalmos : It also referred to as bulging eyes, is a disorder that arises from scarring behind the eye. Due to the displacement of the ocular muscles, the scarring forces the eye forward.
- Eye Deviation: After surgery, excessive or insufficient strabismus correction may result in an increase in eye deviation.
In addition to the aforementioned dangers, mild side effects from strabismus surgery are also possible. Infections, edoema, or respiratory issues are a few of these. The surgeon considers every potential circumstance and deals with it appropriately so that the patient can return home safely.
What takes place throughout the procedure?
The patient must sign a consent document before being taken to the operating room (OT), or the patient's parents in the case of a youngster. The patient's temperature, pulse, blood pressure, breathing rate, and oxygen levels are assessed in the pre-operative area. The arm or hand has an intravenous (IV) line linked to it. In order to induce sleep or sleepiness, the patient is brought into the operating room (OR) and given general anesthesia or local anesthesia. The procedure consists of the following steps:
- To keep the eye open, the surgeon first inserts a speculum into it. The speculum is inserted into both eyes if both eyes' eye muscles need to be healed.
- To find the muscles that require repair, the surgeon will rotate the eye and make an incision in the conjunctiva.
- After making the incision, the muscles are immediately evident.
- The abnormalities in the eye muscle will be fixed using resection, recession, or plication procedures.
- To make a muscle short or small, resection entails cutting tiny muscular fibers. The muscle is then sewn back into position.
- In a recession, the eye muscle is detached from the point at which it is joined to the eye and then reattached to a different location on the eye.
- Plication is folding and sewing the eye muscle to create a new shape and size.
- The eye muscle is typically held in place with the aid of movable sutures.
- The surgeon makes sure that the alignment of both eyes is proper before doing the conjunctiva repair.
- The conjunctival incision is then stitched up with absorbable sutures.
- Anesthesia will be stopped once the surgery is finished. Before bringing you to the recovery area, the anesthesia team will make sure that your vital signs are stable.
What occurs following the surgery?
You will require cautious observation right after the procedure. To avoid infection in the treated eye, antibiotics will be administered. Additionally, painkillers will be administered via the IV line. Because to the anesthesia, you may have slight nausea.
After a few hours, the ophthalmologist will examine your eye. The doctor will give you the okay to return home if there are no issues.
The medical staff will provide you with thorough information on how to care for your eyes following surgery and for follow-up sessions. A list of potential issues' warning signals will also be provided to you.
Advantages of squint surgery
There are some advantages to strabismus surgery:
- A Better Ocular Alignment:This results from strabismus surgery because the patient can maintain normal eye alignment by looking in the same direction.
- Reduced Or Eliminated Double Vision: In individuals who have diplopia the operation will take care of this issue and get rid of strabismus as the source of double vision. Even after surgery, double vision may still exist if there is another underlying cause.
- Restored Sensory Binocular Vision: Because the fields of vision of the two eyes don't overlap, strabismus patients have difficulty understanding depth. Squint surgery causes the field of vision to overlap, enabling depth perception and the formation of a single 3-D representation of the object.
- Expansion of Binocular Visual Field: Squint eyes frequently restrict peripheral vision to 120 degrees, making it impossible for the patient to turn and look to the sides. Surgery resolves this problem and increases vision from 120 degrees to 190 degrees.
- Enhancement of improper Head Posture: Strabismus patients frequently adopt an improper head posture (Ocular Torticollis) to obtain binocular vision and improve their eyesight. Following surgery, the patient won't be required to maintain the incorrect position, and the habit will gradually become better.
- Improved Social Skills and Self-Image: Many strabismus patients experience self-consciousness as a result of their crossed eyes. The eyes will appear normal after the surgery, which also has cosmetic advantages. As a result, the patient won't feel constrained, and their perception of themselves will also improve.
Alternatives to Surgery for Squinted Eyes
There are alternative methods for treating a squint eye besides strabismus surgery. These choices include:
- Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses: This approach is appropriate for persons with just minor strabismus who also struggle to focus on things because of uncorrected refractive problems.
- Prism lenses : are specialized lenses that aid in bending light so that it reaches the eye at the proper angle, hence minimizing the need to turn the eye to look at objects.
- Orthoptics or Eye Exercises: Eye exercises are effective in some squint eye situations, particularly when a patient has insufficient convergence.
- Medication: In some circumstances, eye drops or ointments can be used to treat crossed eyes. Botulinum Toxin Type A injections can weaken an overactive ocular muscle. This approach works well in addition to or instead of strabismus surgery.
- Patching : is a form of treatment that simultaneously addresses strabismus and amblyopia, or lazy eye. But this is only a short-term choice.
- Surgery : to remove the eye muscles is the most effective treatment option for squint eyes among all other options.
What results from untreated strabismus?
For up to 4 months, strabismus in children is not problematic. If the condition continues after that, it may cause a number of issues. The brain will begin to ignore the images from the abnormal eye the longer the eyes are crossed. The brain will again take a while to govern the aberrant eye after surgery if the treatment is put off.
If squint eye is not addressed right away, the following issues could also arise:
- The affected eye has permanently weak vision due to lazy eye or amblyopia.
- Blurry vision that will interfere with your daily activities.
- Eye strain and tiredness because the unaffected eye must work harder to perceive objects.
- Frequent headaches brought on by poor ocular function.
- Dual image generation in the eyes can cause double vision or poor 3D vision.
- A lack of confidence and low self-esteem brought on by eye looks.
If you don't consult a doctor right once, a brain tumour could occasionally be the source of strabismus, which would go unnoticed.
Recovery and Post-Squint Surgery Results
After squint surgery, recuperation typically lasts 4 to 6 months. For a speedy recovery at this time, you will need to exercise caution and closely adhere to the doctor's directions.
- You may detect pink or crimson tears in your eye in the first few days following surgery. The effects of this will wear off after a few weeks.
- There will be some eye pain and swelling, for which prescription drugs will be written. As your doctor has prescribed, take your medications.
- Most activities can be resumed after one or two days. Be careful not to indulge in any activity that can strain your eyes.
- Avoid activities like swimming and sports that can harm your eyes.
- Keep regular follow-up consultations with the eye doctor to track the progress of your eye's healing.
- Eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet to help your body recuperate more quickly.
After squint surgery, you will be able to look with both eyes in the same direction and see the benefits immediately. The eye doctor will strictly advise that you receive yearly eye exams in the long run so that vision changes and other issues can be found and dealt with appropriately. A revision eye muscle surgery will also be required to fix the eye if it starts to stray once more.
FAQ
You can visit a pediatric ophthalmologist (for infants and children) or an ophthalmologist (for adults) for strabismus treatment. Find a surgeon who specializes in squint surgery if at all possible.
A developmental optometrist is a great resource because they are experts in behavioral optometry. Your optometrist can decide whether or not you can learn to enhance your eyesight. A developmental optometrist's pre- and post-operative consultation will undoubtedly be helpful.
The type of strabismus and other factors, such as the direction in which the eyes turn, the angle of deviations, whether convergence insufficiency is present, whether there is double vision, amblyopia, or a lazy eye, determine the majority of strabismus treatment options. When it comes to enhancing vision and eye alignment, non-surgical solutions including glasses, prisms, and vision therapy occasionally work well.
Age might occasionally have an impact on the success rate of squint surgery. Treatment for early-onset persistent strabismus, for instance, is more effective when started early. The issue will worsen with age and make it harder for the eyes to work together.
There is a good chance that you will need repeated operations to properly cure crossed eyes. The eye doctor will explain how many operations are likely to be necessary in your situation to effectively address the disease.
The eyes can be realigned through eye muscle surgery, but the connection between the eyes and the brain cannot be repaired. Therefore, even after surgery, there is a 1% to 3% possibility that an adult's eyes would diverge once more. The recurrence rate is lower in children.
Squint eye is extremely difficult to avoid, even after surgery. The best thing you can do to identify strabismus and other eye issues is to have routine eye exams.