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Children's health

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Original poster

convergent squint

28 replies

thisisyesterday · 16/11/2011 20:57

does anyone know if a convergent squint always needs glasses?

ds2 has an appt in december after I voiced concerns about a possible squint.

since then I have noticed it more and more and this evening it looked awful (am i right in thinking it can be worse when they're tired?)

i know no-one can make it better or give me and promises, but I am worrying myself over it and I just need to talk it through with anyone who has experience of children with squints.

It makes me really sad thinking of my lovely little boy having to wear glasses, partly because I hate mine, they really irritate me and i don't want him being irritated by soemthing on his face all the time, he is only 4 :(

also, i thought i read something about it being treatable if caught early? is that right?

OP posts:

smileitssunny · 17/11/2011 08:05

Hi, I'm afraid I can't help but am interested in your situation. DD has a divergent squinting and we are also waiting for first appointment.Good Luck.

smileitssunny · 17/11/2011 08:06

squint

smileitssunny · 17/11/2011 08:06

squint

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 17/11/2011 08:24

Yes to worse when tired.

Ds1 has glasses and has done since he was 3 for a squint. His vision is affected though which shocked me quite a bit. I truly had no idea he couldn't see as well as me until he was tested by the optometrist! I am not sure whether glasses are always needed or not though.

Ds1 has been fine with his glasses. They are so much nicer these days, and although I was I initially surprised and upset, it's been fine. Ds1 likes his glasses, and wants to wear them because they improved his sight and he doesnt see double with them on, which can happen without them.

He's 9 now, never really had any comments from other children and as the years have gone by, more of his classmates have got glasses. Whereas once he was the only one, now a handful in his class wear glasses.

TheNinjaGooseIsOnAMission · 17/11/2011 08:42

another yes to worse when tired. Squints are much better dealt with early so it's always best to get something checked out properly, if you've been refered to your local eye unit then your ds2 will get a thorough eye check, they'll check the squint, his vision and put drops in his eyes (which isn't painful) to have a proper look inside the eyes. My dd1 had a squint with minimal difference in her vision, for her the treatment was patching for an hour or two a day, she was 3 at the time and was easily bribable so it wasn't too much of an issue. Dd3 loves her glasses, she won't even take them off to go to sleep so you never know!

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 17/11/2011 09:48

aww thanks for the replies. it's very reassuring to hear that your children really like their glasses!
I have wondered about his vision before, it has to be said. If he is looking for something you can say "it's over there" and point right at it and he just doesn't seem to see things at all even when you can see that he is looking right at it.

can they have a squint and not have affected vision?

OP posts:

TheNinjaGooseIsOnAMission · 17/11/2011 11:05

my dd1 had no need for glasses at the time we were patching, she does now (in her 20s) as she's slightly long sighted but she doesn't need them all the time. All my older dcs had their vision screened routinely at 3 or 4, do they not do this any more then, I just assumed because dd3 was already identified that they didn't bother including her?

MrsCF · 17/11/2011 12:58

My daughter is 3 she has a squint and is also longsighted, she has had her glasses from 20 months and been really good with them. The glasses help with the squint, and she has had patches for a while, which have helped her get equal vision in both eyes. Her squint has always been worse when she is tired. We are at the point where she is due to have an operation next week to straighten her eyes, but this is not needed in all cases, some kids just need glasses or patching.

Seona1973 · 17/11/2011 14:01

my dd started squinting at around 18 months and when she was tested was found to be longsighted with poorer eyesight in one eye than the other. She got glasses (and still has them at the age of 8!) and also had patching treatment to improve the eyesight in the weaker eye. Her squint was noticeable even while wearing her glasses so she had an eye operation at the age of 4 to help straighten it. There may or may not be an issue with your lo's sight but it is best to get it checked out as they only have until the age of 7/8 to correct sight problems.

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 17/11/2011 20:25

thanks all.

they do routine eye checks in reception I think, but ds2 is an october baby, so doesn't start school until next year.
we'd noticed the squint, as had nursery and my mum, so that's why we went through the GP instead.

Fingers crossed he behaves on the 1st!!

how do they check the sight with children who can't identify numbers/letters?

OP posts:

Seona1973 · 17/11/2011 21:26

They used different sized pictures for dd's eye tests when she was too young to read. They also use drops in the eyes to dilate the pupil so they can examine the back of the eye and to help determine a glasses prescription.

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 17/11/2011 22:19

ahh ok, so they're kind of looking for how the eye reacts and what it looks like inside?

if they dilate the pupils does that wear off quite quickly or will I need to keep lights down etc when he comes out? or take some sunglasses?

OP posts:

Seona1973 · 17/11/2011 22:27

it takes a few hours to wear off. I never used sunglasses or dimmed the lights (maybe I'm just a horrible mum!!)

TheNinjaGooseIsOnAMission · 18/11/2011 07:30

thanks

usually you see the orthoptist first, they do the vision and squint test usually using kay cards so there's no need to know letters just to be able to say what the picture is, if dcs can't do that and are too shy they'll get them to point to the pictures on a seperate card they can hold. They'll get him to follow lights or toys with his eyes to check the range of movement and may use a set of prisms to check the squint. They'll probably want him to cover one eye at a time at some stage so if he's prepared for that it would be good. Then it's the drops, a wait for them to work and then into see the doctor who'll look into the eye itself to check it's healthy and if he needs glasses the doctor can work out the correct prescription. The drops dilate the pupil wide open so it may be good to take sunglasses just in case but if you're going in december you might not need them If it's anything like our eye unit make sure you've allowed for being there a while, it's never a quick process.

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 18/11/2011 18:51

thank you all for your replies, it's really helpful knowing more about how it's done and what to expect. am feeling slightly less frantic now!
have got DP off work for the afternoon to look after the other 2, so we can take our time thankfully

OP posts:

workshy · 18/11/2011 22:58

it is possible to have a squint but not have an issue with eyesight (me)

mine had to be surgically corrected as patching would have been a pointless exercise -both eyes squinted depending on which one felt like it and the surgery was purely cosmetic and made no difference to my vision (I see fine but not in 3D)

DD2 wore glasses from 18months to 6yo for long sight and a mild squint -she now has niether

when she was 18months they just used the drops to check her eyesight (think they can assess how the lense focuses to give a prescription in children this young)

when she was slightly older they had some 'special sunglasses' that had 1 blanked out lense which they used to cover 1 eye and the whole test was done through play

the drops can sting a little bit at first (this is the worst part) and then they make the vision a bit blurry for a good few hours after -I got sunglasses for DD as her eyes are light sensitive normally but I never bothered when I have had the drops used on me

cheekyginger · 22/11/2011 22:05

Hi thisisyesterday,

I started a thread called lazy eyes, squint and glasses.

There's lots of comments from mums that have went through all this with their wee ones and others wanting to pick my brains.

Feel free to add any questions on my thread....

smileitssunny · 23/11/2011 12:18

really helpful post ninja goose thankyou

cheekyginger · 24/11/2011 22:02

(on my moby pls excuse the txt speak.
this isyesterday from what u describe it sounds like he has a squint that gets worse at the end of the day. This tends to suggest that a child will be lonsighted. U can get squints that dont require glasses but they tend to b visible from a younger age and doesnt vary as much with tiredness.
smileit with divergent squints glasses are less likely. Depending on they age of ur LO exercises might b an option.

Good luck ladies

lollystix · 24/11/2011 22:56

I had vertical squint- my eye would wander upwards especially when tired. Had it surgically corrected when I was 7. Patch for a month after - note this was the early eighties. I got a giant poochie dog (remember the pink and White ones) as a present - my friends were all very jealous. I was also made to watch grease on repeat for the whole week in hospital - can't stand that bloody film now.

Anyway I am and always have been short sighted (not badly) but my eyes are definitely where they should be so it all went well.

smileitssunny · 25/11/2011 00:12

Thanks cheekyginger
dd saw orthoptist and consultant today, she is mildly short-sighted and will definitely need glasses in the near future. :( for now, watch and wait.
Op any news?

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 25/11/2011 13:25

cheekyginger, thanks for the info :)

lollystix.. .am v. jealous of your poochie! i always wanted one and never had one. my friend did get one though

smileitssunny.. glad you've got a diagnosis. do they have any idea how long it will be before she needs glasses?
our appointment is on the 1st (next thurs) so watch this space!

saw 2 little girls in town today of about 2 and 4, both wearing glasses and they looked v. cute and neither of them seemed bothered by wearing them. that made me happy :)

OP posts:

cheekyginger · 25/11/2011 17:19

The glasses that are available for kids these days are great.

smileit If your LO is only mildly short sighted then she might only need them for distance work, i.e in the classroom. Short sighted means she can see short distances fine. Did they say what type of squint she has?

Squint surgery these days is a day case, so the kids are NOT in overnight anymore or for a week! Lucky you lollstix. They are only kept in if cant keep food down after the anaesthetic.

Good luck OP with your appointment

smileitssunny · 28/11/2011 14:01

DDI has divergent squint with both eyes but can pull it back in. I think she'll need glasses next year. next appt end of Feb.
Good luck thisisyesterday for Thursday.

Original poster

thisisyesterday · 28/11/2011 15:00

ds2 has been doing a really weird thing yesterday and today where he is really screwing up his bad eye and kind of doing this prolonged "wink" all the time :-/

v. glad the appt is on thurs!

OP posts:

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