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Children's health

Squint

21 replies

lellyli · 10/05/2017 17:05

we're currently in the middle of having tests for my dd's squint. so far it seems she has normal vision so won't need glasses, but am just waiting for the main appointment so they can put eye drops in and fully test her vision. anyone else's lo have a squint? and if so what was the treatment. am curious what they will do if it's a squint that doesn't require glasses

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dementedpixie · 10/05/2017 18:20

If no glasses are required then it may mean surgery. My dd had a squint that was still noticeable with glasses on so her eye got operated on to improve it.

lellyli · 10/05/2017 19:32

did the surgery cure the squint? i hadn't really thought about surgery but it's looking like she doesn't need glasses

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riojaandcorrie · 10/05/2017 19:59

I had a squint as a kid and had an op when I was about 7. Sorted it right out! If I'm really tired or sick it might come back a little bit but not terribly obvious if you're not looking for it.

SweetChickadee · 10/05/2017 20:01

I had both eyes operated on when I was 4 - they pull the muscles to straighten the eye.

worked a treat - I understand it's best to do it young

summerblonde · 10/05/2017 20:28

My DD (7) has had a slight squint since she was 3. We were originally told she didn't need them, and that hey would operate on it. It turned out is slightly long sighted and wears glasses. The glasses hold the squint place and you would not know she had one with her glasses on. Apparently when her left eye turns in, it is her trying to focus. When her glasses are off I notice a slight intermittent squint, especially when she is tired. Surgery is an option when they know the squint won't get any worse, which it hasn't. Her vision is great with them on and she is doing well in school.

summerblonde · 10/05/2017 20:36

Also, be prepared to be at your first appointment for a while. They put the eye drops on (which sting slightly) and wait for the pupils to dilate and the check the eyes. How old is your DD? They may try patching before surgery. My daughter used to have to wear patches 2/4 hours a day. This was before she started school so was easy to do during the day. It didn't make any difference at all though.

MrsJamesMathews · 10/05/2017 20:39

If the squint is fie to a lazy eye (I'm guessing probabaly not in your DDs case) then they will try to excercise the lazy eye with eye patching the good eye.

Otherwise, or if that doesn't work or if the squint is in both eyes then she will need surgery if you want it fixed.

BlackInk · 11/05/2017 11:41

My daughter's been seeing an ophthalmologist for about a year for a fairly minor squint in one eye. She's been wearing a patch for a few hours a day and there's been some improvement, but not completely resolved.
No one's mentioned surgery to us, so no need to panic unnecessarily. She's increasing patching to 4 hours a day at the moment and if that doesn't sort it out they're talking about glasses.

BI x

summerblonde · 11/05/2017 15:00

Blackink - glasses have worked perfectly for my daughter, you wouldn't even know she had a squint when she is wearing them. Apparently the surgery is only a minor in and out the same day op x

lellyli · 11/05/2017 17:16

Thanks ladies. So far we've only had the initial appointment (as well as seeing a boots optician) where they've diagnosed an intermittent squint but so far her eyesight has come up good in both eyes. Will have to wait and see what the next appointment holds- they have warned me she'll be having drops in her eyes, and im guessing the tests will be more in depth

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lellyli · 11/05/2017 17:17

she's just turned 3

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Lushmetender · 11/05/2017 17:29

My DD had a squint but wasn't using the eye at all which was scary. She had patches for ages. The vision improved and doesn't need glasses despite the vision in that eye is not as good as the other. They will only surgically correct it if we insist or she is bullied.

Lushmetender · 11/05/2017 17:30

Sorry DD is 7 and still has the squint

summerblonde · 11/05/2017 18:04

When we were originally told DD didn't need glasses, we were told she would have surgery. X

dementedpixie · 11/05/2017 18:11

Patching won't help if the eyesight is ok in both eyes. My dd had a squint and was long sighted with one eye with poorer sight than the other.

She had a patch to improve the sight in the poorer eye, glasses so she could see properly and at the age of 4 had an Op to improve the squint. She will always need glasses (got them at 18 months and is now 13)

PenguinDi · 11/05/2017 18:28

I found out I have a squint as an adult, it's caused no vision problems for me, I didn't know till I had an eye test 10 years ago. I wear glasses now but that's due to my job.

lellyli · 11/05/2017 20:12

that's all really interesting to read...this is all new to me and no one in my family wears glasses so i felt a little out of my depth. the optometrist seemed to say that she didn't think my dd would need glasses/patching and it will be a case of wait and see with 3/4 monthly appointments

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Sshhhdonttellanyone · 11/05/2017 20:40

My DC has very long eyesight and had quite a bad squint which switched from one eye to the next (so not lazy). His glasses corrected his vision fine but not his squint. The consultant was very keen for DC to have squint surgery because without eyes being aligned they don't get 3D vision. At 3 1/2 it was likely his brain had got so used to accommodating the squint surgery wouldn't give him 3D vision.

Also the consultant was very persuasive that cosmetically a squint would be difficult for DC to live with when a bit older and it's better to operate when younger as they recover quicker.

I don't know the stats but it's not unheard of for children to need more than one op, sometimes years apart, just because the squint relaxes back in to place. My DC had one operation and now with his glasses on he now has no squint at all.

lellyli · 11/05/2017 20:43

my dd has it in both eyes but 90% of the time it's the right eye and it's not all the time. perhaps they will offer an op and get it done whilst she's young then. Thanks for telling me your experience Sshhhdonttellanyone

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Sshhhdonttellanyone · 11/05/2017 20:47

BTW, if you can afford it I would highly recommend getting Tomato Glasses. They are made from a strong but soft plastic and are adjustable on the nose piece and the things that go around the ears. That means you can adjust them to fit better on little faces with very small nose bridges, and adjust the glasses as they grow.

So often I see little DC with ill-fitting glasses falling down their noses and them spending most of their time actually looking over the glasses rather than through them. You won't get that with tomato glasses.

You can't get them at Specsavers though, you'll need to find a stockist near you and you might need to pay some money towards it.

We pay £40 plus the voucher although that does include extra thin lenses.

Also, make sure you ask about the 'small frame supplement'. It's extra NHS funding so you can get your LO better glasses than bog-standard.

www.tomatoglassesuk.com

lellyli · 11/05/2017 20:51

thanks for the heads up Sshhhdonttellanyone, will definitely have a look at those

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