What Causes Crossed Eyes?
In Zanesville, New Lexington and Newark, OH crossed eyes are more common than you might think. This condition affects almost 13 million people in the United States alone. Thankfully, crossed eyes can usually be corrected by surgery, corrective lenses or a combination of treatments.
What Are Crossed Eyes?
Crossed eyes is a condition where the eyes are not aligned properly. The technical name for this condition is strabismus, meaning “a deviation in orientation.” When eyes are working properly, they work in tandem; with the focus being in the same direction in both eyes. With strabismus, the eyes focus independently, with the focus being in different directions.
What is the Cause of Crossed Eyes?
Your eyes operate via a series of muscles, nerves and blood vessels. When one of the nerves or muscles is stronger or weaker than the other, the affected eye either receives different brain signals or interrupted brain signals, or the muscle is simply unable to move as it should. Crossed eyes can also occur in persons with previously healthy eyes, due to eye trauma, stroke, cerebral palsy or another underlying health condition. Crossed eyes is a physical problem, which is why it can be corrected by your optometrist in Zanesville, Newark and New Lexington, OH.
Symptoms of Crossed Eyes
The outward symptoms of crossed eyes are very apparent. The irises will appear to be in different positions from each other, and it will look as if the person is looking in two separate directions. While this is disconcerting, the symptoms that the person experiences are far worse. They include:
- Double vision
- Impaired depth perception
- Chronic headaches
- Eye strain
- Impaired overall vision
Who Gets Crossed Eyes?
Crossed eyes may occur in persons with a genetic past of strabismus. It very often runs in families. Most frequently, babies are born with crossed eyes, although as mentioned, it can occur later in life. If you enroll your infant between the ages of six and 12 months in the InfantSEE program, your optometrist will be able to screen for strabismus. If you or your loved one has crossed eyes, don’t panic. Treatment is available.
Your optometrist in Zanesville, Newark and New Lexington, OH can help with crossed eyes. The first step is an eye exam, after which a treatment plan can be formulated. Contact us today to book your appointment.
