Squint Eye Treatment: What is it and can it be done at home?

A Squint or strabismus is an eye condition in which the center of the pupil of both eyes does not line up. One of the easiest ways to tell if someone has a squint is that the eyes do not appear to be looking in the same direction. The eyes sometimes focus on different objects, making it hard for a person with a severe squint to see objects clearly and/or cause objects being seen double. This condition is noted most commonly in children, however, it can also occur in adults.

Different treatments for squint eye

Squint treatment largely depends on how severe the condition is. In general, the following are a few squint treatments that doctors typically offer:

• Eye exercises
• Using corrective lenses or glasses that help the eyes focus
• Squint Eye Surgery to strengthen the muscles (this is generally the last resort – if the corrective lenses do not work, the doctors may suggest surgery).

Are there any at-home exercises that treat squints?

Yes, the first line of treatment is usually asking the patient to perform a few eye exercises at home. The goal of these exercises is to ensure that the eye muscles become strong enough to support the eye correctly, thereby ensuring that the pupil lines up. Some of these exercises are:

1. Pencil Pushups: A near point of convergence exercise, pencil pushups are a simple eye exercise you can perform at home. Hold a pencil at arm’s length and focus on the lettering on the side of the pencil. Then, keep bringing the pencil as close to your nose as possible while maintaining the focus on the same. If your vision gets blurry, stop and restart.
2. Brock String: For this exercise, you need a 5-foot long string with three differently coloured beads on it. Tie one end to a secure point such as the back of a chair, and hold the other end to your nose. The beads should be equally spaced. Focus on one bead at a time. You should be able to see an X pattern. If you cannot see the pattern, it means your vision is becoming blurry. Keep repositioning the beads to practise focussing on each one.
3. Barrel cards: Draw three barrels increasing in size in red ink on one side of a card and three in green ink on the other side. Hold the card against your nose in a vertical alignment so that the largest barrel is furthest away from your nose.  Stare at the most distant barrel until the image of both the barrel colours appears as one image. Continue staring for 5 seconds and then repeat this with the barrels of smaller sizes.

Do keep in mind that if these exercises do not help with the treatment of the squint, you must ask a doctor to advise you regarding a more aggressive treatment approach. 

Why Choose CFS for squint eye treatment?

At CFS, we have some leading pediatric ophthalmologists working with us to help with timely squint eye treatment for your child. With over 50 centres across the country, we can assure you that no matter where you live, you should be able to access our experts with ease! 

Article: Squint Eye Treatment: What is it and can it be done at home?

Author: CFS Editorial Team   |   Nov 08 2021 | UPDATED 07:00 IST

*The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his privatecapacity and do not in any way represent the views of Centre for Sight.