The Management of Strabismus

The original causes of strabismus and the complications that develop from efforts by a child to adjust to the condition may present a complex diagnostic and therapeutic problem. The complications of suppression, amblyopia, contractures and anomalous visual habits may become more difficult to correct than the cause of the strabismus. The longer the duration of strabismus, the more complex the problem, the more difficult the treatment, and the less the probability of functional cure. Treatment should be started early. Correction may be brought about by the use of glasses, eye patches and orthoptic training, or by operation. If anatomic abnormality prevents bringing the eyes into line by conservative means, operation should be carried out after the best results possible by these means have been achieved. Surgical treatment, too, where it is indicated, should be done early, in order that normal binocular cooperation can develop before abnormal visual habits can become established.