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Original poster

Squinting DS aged 3: worst case scenario? Best case scenario?

27 replies

madamez · 26/01/2008 00:26

I think I have posted on this before but anyway: I can no longer deny that DS has a bit of a squint. I suspected it when he was a newborn but was advised it would probably go away, now it seems to be getting more noticeable. Am going to take him to the clinic to see HV on Monday, but for those of you with squinty DCs, what sort of treatments do they get? And how big a problem is a squint anyway?

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 26/01/2008 00:47

madamez, usually treatment is glasses and/or patching the "lazy" eye Ideally your ds should see an orthoptist too and should be given exercises to get both eyes working together. Sometimes an operation is required to straighten the eye but that is only carried out if all other options fail.
Tbh, unless you know the cause of the squint, it's hard to say how big of a problem it is! Usually, if the child doesn't mind wearing the specs/patch and does the exercises you can have a very good outcome, equal or almost equal vision in the two eyes. If left untreated, it can mean that certain careers would be out of bound i.e airline pilot!

swedishmum · 26/01/2008 00:53

Dd squinted from 2. She's 12 now and no longer squints but has astigmatism. She saw an optomotrist for a number of years who gave her exercises, then eventually signed her off aged about 9. To be honest, I was ust pleased it was picked up so early - glasses were a pain, but she got used to them easily.

newyorkdolls · 26/01/2008 01:14

DS had a double squint and when he was 5 they operated on only one eye, they only did one eye as he has cp and was prem, put simply, the cp makes him stiff with underlying floppiness caused by being prem. If they had done both eyes, the eyes would of pinged back and started turning outwards, due to cp and premness.
He has glasses since he was 18 months and patches too. But, in the end the op was the best thing for him.
The op doesn't last long but leaves the eyeball looking pinky sort of bloodshot, the pinkyness faded slowly and now 4 yrs later is very very faint, almost undetectable.
But ds eyes were very turned. So hopefully your ds would not need to be operated on.

SofiaAmes · 26/01/2008 05:59

Ds squinted from 2ish or so. Was prescribed glasses at 3.5 (astygmatism in both eyes) and then they said he had outgrown it at 4.5 and didn't need the glasses anymore. He is now 7 and still gets his eyes checked regularly and still hasn't needed glasses again.
The glasses were really no trouble at all and the only times they got broken were when dd (2 years younger) got ahold of them.

2sugarsagain · 26/01/2008 06:06

DD1 was sent to the outpatients department of (what was then) the Radcliffe Infirmary, by our HV. No problems, but then I didn't notice anything awry anyhow.

DD2, however, used to sit up really close to the tv. When she was looking at something close up she used to cock her head, and one eye seemed to go in a different direction to the other.

We had here eyes tested last year (she was 7, btw ) and she is longsighted. After moaning and moaning about having glasses she actually cried when we went in to Dolland and Aitchson and they weren't in!

She has a friend in her class who wears glasses and may have to have 'an operation' - her words, not mine. Unfortuanaly this girl goes to after school club so I don't get to see the mum.

But dd2 definately had a squint and it has been corrected by glasses

TigerFeet · 26/01/2008 07:56

dd (3.6) has a squint and wears glasses. No other treatments as yet. We were referred to the hospital by our GP and initally saw both the orthoptist and the optrometist. We go back every two months and only see the orthoptist, the optrometist is annually. It turns out she is long sighted, more so in the squinty eye which is what caused the squint. SHe loves her glasses and is the envy of her friends . She has broken them once but our optician replaced them within half an hour for us and we have had a second pair made as well.

We have been told that she will probably need patches later on but no mention has been made of an operation. She has been wearing the glasses for three months and there is a noticable improvement already.

TigerFeet · 26/01/2008 07:57

optometrist

Seona1973 · 26/01/2008 13:03

my dd has had glasses since 18 months (now 4) as she has a squint in her left eye. She is longsighted and the sight in her left eye was poorer than her right. She had to do patching for a while to improve the left eyesight but they are now both about equal. She still squints even with the glasses on and is due to get the operation sometime this year (hopefully before she starts school in August). She has been a star with both the glasses and the patching. It has been very strange for me and dh though as neither of us wear glasses so she is the only one in the family with them.

Oblomov · 26/01/2008 13:18

Seona, same here. Ds has had squint since 18 mths, 4 now. He will always need glasses because he is very long sighted. We are still patching. Our hospital believes that the operation to correct the 'look' of the cross-eyed, is purely cosmetic and that they are more concerned at the moment with getting ds's eyes to work as much as possible. They have said thay will do the op, before he is 7, but haven't said when.

Oblomov · 26/01/2008 13:19

Where are you mademz ?
Near Moorfields ?

Original poster
madamez · 26/01/2008 13:59

Hi all, thanks for so much advice (though I was of course hoping for everyone to say, don't worry it will clear up by itself ). We are in London, and I am going to take him to the baby&toddler clinic on Monday.

OP posts:
Miaou · 26/01/2008 14:18

madamez, dd1 had a squint and I left it too long and she has permanent sight damage - don't wish to scare you but it needs looking at asap. She was 3.10 when I saw the optician.

Oblomov · 26/01/2008 14:41

Madamez, ask to be referred to Moorfields, it is the best place.

Oblomov · 26/01/2008 14:43

Ask asnyone, they will tell you that Moorfields is the best :
www.moorfields.nhs.uk/Home

SofiaAmes · 26/01/2008 14:56

I had been told to ask to be referred to Moorfield when my son was a baby and had some eye problems. I actually thought they were awful. We waited for hours and hours and got some terrible doctor who barely spoke English and had no idea how to deal with a baby. Next time around we went to local hospital which was much better.

chipmonkey · 26/01/2008 19:55

Miaou, don't feel bad! 3.10 is not late to have left it at all! Tbh you can get varying results from child to child. I know children who wore their glasses and patches religiously as instructed and got little or no improvement. On the other hand I have worked with 12-14 year olds who were considered to be "past it" wrt treating a lazy eye and managed to get very good results.

cory · 26/01/2008 19:58

I was 31 before my lazy eye got treated- and I was still able to get back to using it, through exercises and specially designed glasses with an inbuilt prism (doesn't show at all). Weird as I hadn't been using both eyes together for at least 25 years. My ability to judge distances is still crap, but other than that I'm fine.

Miaou · 26/01/2008 22:14

Ah, chipmonkey, thank you for saying that. I still feel riddled with guilt about it as I too thought she would "grow out of it". She still has to wear glasses and has no usable vision in her right eye (ie it can see but the brain doesn't use it so she has effectively monocular vision )

chipmonkey · 27/01/2008 01:28

Whateve age she was when it was picked up, she would still have needed glasses. And binocular vision is over-rated! How old is she now?

Miaou · 27/01/2008 10:44

She's 10.5, just at the age for getting self-conscious about wearing glasses! Dh is going to look into getting her contacts in a few years (I think she can have them from 13).

motherinferior · 27/01/2008 10:53

Long saga re DD1's very slight squint; you do need an orthoptic referral, which should be no problem (in fact, did you know, I didn't, that all pre-schoolers are now recommended to have an orthoptic eye test) - we went to King's, which was quite marvellous. CAT me should you feel the urge....

TrinityRhinosDhWonHerAnIPOD · 27/01/2008 10:56

I didn't get my squint sorted till I was 11 and so I have zero 3d vison
I've never known any different but it does make life different
she is young enough for you to be able to sort it in time for her to learn her 3d vision
its about the age of 6 that you need to have it sorted by to manage to get some or all of your possible 3d vision

Glasses could completely sort it or patching may be needed
squints are very common, dont panic and they have lotsof ways to sort it now

SnappyLaGore · 27/01/2008 11:05

ds1 (PFB) had a bit of a squint. mostly just showed up in photos. got it checked out and were referred to eye dept of hosp, who were great.

and heres the good bit: he did just grow out of it and it went away by itself.

Original poster
madamez · 27/01/2008 22:09

Thanks again everyone. I am going to ring the GP tomorrow and ask for an appointment. I don't think it's getting worse, just that I am noticing it more. Because my DS is my PFB...

OP posts:
bumposaurus · 27/01/2008 22:17

My middle ds had a terrible squint which I refused to see, although it was obvious to everyone else. He was prescribed specs at 18 months (bless) and had corrective surgery for the squint last year when he was 4. his eyes now look straight and the orthoptist and his surgeon say he will always need vision correction. BUT, he has taken to his specs like a duck to water and they have become part of him. Also, the surgery was day surgery and he felt very special. I cried my eyes out when we got the diagnosis, bbut now we don't give it a second thought. And the eye people are BRILLIANT with kids and he sees them as his friends. Good luck