Turned in eye - self conscious

[SwanShaped]

I’ve had a turned in eye since I was a child. Worn glasses since about 2 years old. Normally, the glasses would straighten the eye when I put them on so it would only be noticeable without glasses or a bit if I was tired. However I’ve noticed over the last few years that this doesn’t seem to be happening anymore and my eye stays turned in even with glasses on. Has anyone else had this? I have an up to date prescription. Optician told me that this couldn’t happen but I felt I was being dismissed. I’m starting to feel self conscious about it in photos and with zoom calls etc. Has anyone tried vision therapy? Or that lazy eye Tetris game? Or had surgery to correct it?

Thanks.

@underneaththeash, my eye turns inwards. I'm +1 long sighted and -2.75 short sighted. Do you think prescription glasses will help me?

underneaththeash possibly knows more about this than me, but my surgeon suggested that high prescription glasses were more likely to encourage a squint. I didn't really understand that bit.
My squint was temporarily controlled by prism in my glasses, but I needed increasing amounts of prism over time, and I needed different amounts of prism for different distances, so I needed to change my glasses whenever I looked up.

Yes I’m very long sighted. But in that eye I can barely see at all. My prescription has been getting ever so slightly less each time I go. As in, my eyes are getting slightly better. I’m definitely going to find a better optician and then also speak to GP. I did wonder about computer use or phone use affecting it. Which is why I was also asking about vision therapy and if anyone had done that. But it’s also super expensive and hard to gauge how well it works from a website. Because obviously all the places that do it are just super positive about it on their websites.

@SwanShaped, I had a session of vision therapy privately. The first session was £180 and I found it wasn't useful. The therapist agreed it will not help much in my case.

Ouch, that’s expensive. That’s what’s putting me off.

Vision therapy works for some and not for others.
It's basically eye physiotherapy.
@KedsAndTubeSocks - it depends on the type of squint and the type of prescription, for example a minus prescription will make a inwards turning squint worse.
@Nets888 - That prescription doesn't make sense - how exactly is it written is the +1.00 in the reading add column or do either of those numbers have DS or DC next to them or an axis? Or is one eye +1.00 and the other -2.75?

@underneaththeash, I've just checked my prescription. Sphere right and left eye -2.50. Reading addition +1. Axis right eye 90, left eye 75. No DS or DC.

So I'm both long and short sighted?

@underneaththeash, actually under reading addition is written down as +100. Not sure if it's +1 or +100?

Sorry OP, hope you don't mind me asking questions here while @underneaththeash is here.

Do you think prism will help straighten my eyes? I've inwards turn and no double vision but my optician never mentioned correcting with glasses.

@Nets888 in your case, your prescription won't help the turn - sorry.
A prism would help, but it's likely to need to be large and therefore unsightly.

It all sounds so complex. I really wish I didn’t care about it, but I do.

@SwanShaped, my squint was from birth but my daughters don't realised I have a squint until I mentioned it and said I was going for surgery. So it might be not as noticeable for others.

Yeah I don’t know how noticeable it is. I seem to have plenty of friends and a husband so it can’t be that horrific!

@underneaththeash

OP - how old are you? I suspect that you just due to the extra computer use and you may just need a pair of glasses just for the computer that are a little bit stronger. I would second going to see someone else.

You can't get surgery any more as adult for cosmetic squints in England.

You are still able to get squint surgery as an adult in many parts of England although it has been decommissioned in some areas. I am an orthoptist OP so happy to answer any questions you have. Ask your GP or optometrist to refer you to your local eye hospital in the first instance. Adult squint surgery should never be considered as cosmetic but as reconstructive as there is plenty of evidence it has a negative impact in all areas of life. The Royal college of ophthalmologists have written a very detailed paper on this which has supported the decision to continue surgery in many areas, including the area I work in

That’s good to know thanks. I’m late 30s. I will talk to my GP about it.

Can you explain how it helps in other ways besides cosmetic?

Having a squint for some people can really affect their quality of life, their is research to show it can adversely affect mental health , employment prospects , education and communication with other people as it’s harder to make eye contact .If you have the potential for binocular vision squint surgery will have a functional benefit to improve judgement of depth and distance and can get rid of double vision. You cannot hide a squint in the way you can disguise many other things that affect your appearance. The way to think of it is cosmetic surgery enhances a typical appearance whereas reconstructive surgery restores a typical appearance

How do you know if you have binocular vision or not? The world doesn’t look flat like a photo. So I presume I do have it?

Binocular vision gives you stereopsis (3D) vision even if you don’t have binocular vision you do not see the world as flat as you use other visual information to help you judge depth and distance. If your eyes have been straight previously but you are no longer able to control your squint you are very likely to have binocular vision, if your squint has always been there but has become more noticeable you may not. It will depend on the type of squint you have and how old you are when it develops. 3D films and magic eye pictures use your stereopsis. Your glasses prescription shows you are shortsighted and the +1 add is given for reading so that your eyes are not having to focus (accommodate) so much for near viewing. You may have been given a reading add to try and reduce your squint for near as + lenses will often have the effect of reducing a convergent squint. Prisms can help control a squint for some people and stop double vision however prisms should only be used if there is potential binocular vision.

Rodders - I completely agree with you - squints can affect QOL.
But in most regions of the England referrals for cosmetic squints from either gps or optometrists will be rejected at triage stage.
@Nets888 if you are not in England the situation may be different.

@underneaththeash

Rodders - I completely agree with you - squints can affect QOL. But in most regions of the England referrals for cosmetic squints from either gps or optometrists will be rejected at triage stage. *@Nets888* if you are not in England the situation may be different.

I think using the word cosmetic in a referral is a barrier to getting referrals through, the RCO statement is very good at countering the idea that this is simply a cosmetic problem, we also collect pre and post op QOL data which has shown that many patients without BV report an improvement in visual function after surgery which is difficult to explain

I had squint surgery aged 43 (4 years ago). I had a Convergent squint from birth but my parents refused surgery as my mother was too nervous. I wore glasses until I was a late teen but by then my squint was almost gone.
It did get gradually worse as I got older though and by the time I looked at surgery it was pretty bad and It was really affecting my confidence.
I had it done on the NHS, I just filled out a questionnaire beforehand and explained how terribly self conscious it made me. It was done under a day surgery. I think I have this right - my squint was measured at 12 diopter?? And it was reduced to 2. I could not have my eyes made completely straight as at that point I had double vision so they had to leave a small squint there.
Initially the results were amazing but I do think it’s started to wander back in. I’d like to have the squint measured again to see if it has but I don’t know if this is possible.

The surgery took a couple of weeks to recover from, the eye was pretty sore for a few days but it quickly healed. It remained bloodshot for about a month if I recall.

I’d have it done again if possible but not sure if I can due to scarring now.

Actually I’ve just re-read some notes I’d made and my squint was 30 diopters reduced to 10. I’ve obviously got a memory problem too 😂

@Rodders92 sadly I’m not. You’re very welcome to pm me.

Ah, ok. It was someone else who put up their prescription. No idea what mine is as I think I’ve lost the card it’s on. I know my eyes are bad though. I’ve never been able to do magic eye stuff or see 3D films. I might get the odd second of a film seeming 3d but mostly it’s flat. I wonder what binocular vision is like! I always thought I had it.