Do not let squints ruin your child's sight

By Moses Nampala

Lilian Lamara was born with a squint in one eye. The eight-year-old, recently had the defect corrected at St. Benedictine Eye Hospital, Tororo.

What is a squint?

A squint is a misalignment of the eyes, where the pupils (the dark round spot in the eye) point in different directions. A squint comes about when some muscles in the eye are weaker than others.

“There are six muscles on either side of the eye. Naturally, they must be of equal strength. In circumstance when either part of the muscles is stronger than the other, a squint would prevail,” says Dr. Robert Mayeku, an ophthalmologist consultant at St. Benedictine Eye Hospital.

How the eye functions

Dr. Proscovia Arach, a consultant ophthalmologist at St. Benedictine Eye Hospital, Tororo, says when the eye is in the socket, it is like a ball immersed in a bucket half-full of water.

“When the brain commands the nerves to change the focus of the eye in the left direction, the muscles in the left hand side of the eye contract, compelling the pupil to roll that direction,” explains Arach.

Arach explains that the eye has elastic muscles on the left and right, up and down, and all these muscles have equal strength.

“For instance, two things happen when a person looks to the left; the muscles on the left contract, while those on the right stretch. The pupil, therefore, rolls in the left corner of the eye,” she explains. “The muscles in the upper part of the eye will contract while those downwards will stretch, when a person seeks to look upwards.”

Cause of squints

Mayeku says 50% of what causes squints in children is unknown. However, sometimes, the condition is genetic.

Children born prematurely are vulnerable because their muscles and other body organs may have not fully developed.

Children who suffer from an illnesses for a long time, at an early stage, may also develop squints because the illness may weaken some muscles. Squints may also result from damage on the nerves connected to the brain from the eye.

Prevalence

According to Arach, at least 1% of children in the country have squints.

Effects

Arach says not only do squints distort sight, but often, the victims also complain of refractive sight.

This means the eye does not refract the light properly, and one may end up viewing two object in one.

Treatment

One may be given spectacles to pull back the muscles into position, but if treatment does not work, surgery is done. Mayeku says during surgery, some of the muscles are detached off the side that seems stronger and fi xed at the back of the eye, to strike a balance.

The surgery is done using sophisticated equipment that is able to assess the strength of muscles on either side of the eye.

Arach, however, adds that squints can only be corrected effectively when the child is below the age of eight.

“Surgery for a child under this age bracket not only improves the appearance, but also restores normal sight,” she says.

The cost of treatment varies, depending on the health facility, but one may part with at least sh130,000.