What is Eye Muscle Surgery?
Eye muscle surgery is a medical procedure used to treat misaligned eyes and related vision problems. If you’re experiencing issues with eye alignment or have been diagnosed with strabismus, understanding this surgical option is important for making informed decisions about your eye health.
Keep reading to learn more about eye muscle surgery and what happens during the procedure!
What is Strabismus?
Strabismus is an eye condition where your eyes are not properly aligned with each other. When you have strabismus, one eye may look straight ahead while the other eye turns inward, outward, upward, or downward.
This misalignment can be constant or may come and go throughout the day. While strabismus is commonly noticed in children, it can develop at any age due to various causes, including neurological problems or trauma.
The condition affects both depth perception and normal vision development. If left untreated, strabismus can lead to permanent vision problems, including amblyopia, also known as lazy eye.
Early detection and treatment are crucial for the best possible outcome, whether the condition develops in childhood or adulthood.
What is Strabismus Surgery?
Strabismus surgery, also known as eye muscle surgery, is a surgical procedure that corrects misaligned eyes by adjusting the muscles that control eye movement. During this operation, your ophthalmologist at Complete EyeCare West adjusts the extraocular muscles.
These six muscles are attached to the outside of each eye and control eye positioning and movement. The procedure involves carefully adjusting these muscles to improve eye alignment and coordination.
The goal is to help your eyes work together better, potentially improving depth perception, reducing eye strain, and correcting visible misalignment. While the procedure may sound intimidating, it’s a well-established surgical technique that has helped many patients achieve better eye alignment and improved vision.
What Are The Symptoms of Strabismus?
Strabismus affects more than just your appearance. While the visible misalignment of the eyes can be a cosmetic concern, the condition often causes significant functional symptoms that can interfere with daily life, including:
- Problems with reading and close-up work
- Persistent double vision
- Chronic eye strain and fatigue
- Frequent headaches
- Tilting your head to compensate for vision problems
- Habitually closing one eye to see clearly
These symptoms can significantly impact your quality of life, making it difficult to perform daily tasks, work effectively, or enjoy regular activities. Fortunately, eye muscle surgery can effectively address these concerns and help restore proper eye alignment.
What Happens When You Receive Eye Muscle Surgery?
Before scheduling the procedure, you’ll have a comprehensive consultation with your eye doctor to determine if eye muscle surgery is the best treatment for your condition. On the day of your procedure, here’s what you can expect:
- Your medical team will begin by administering anesthesia through an IV. While general anesthesia is commonly used, some patients may only require light sedation.
- Throughout the procedure, your eye doctor and surgical team will carefully monitor your vital signs to ensure your safety.
- A specialized instrument called an eye speculum will be used to gently hold your eye open during the surgery.
- Your surgeon will make a small incision in the conjunctiva, the clear outer layer covering the white part of your eye, called the sclera.
- Using special instruments, your surgeon will carefully adjust the affected eye muscles to achieve proper alignment.
- The incision will be closed using dissolvable stitches that won’t need to be removed later.
The entire procedure typically takes between 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the complexity of your case. Since you’ll be receiving anesthesia, you’ll need a friend or family member to drive you to and from your appointment.
It’s important to arrange this transportation in advance of your surgery day.
Do I Need Strabismus Surgery?
While not everyone with misaligned eyes requires surgery, it may be recommended when other treatments haven’t adequately improved your condition. You might be a candidate for eye muscle surgery if you have any of these conditions:
- Exotropia: a condition where one or both eyes turn outward toward the ears
- Esotropia: when one or both eyes turn inward toward the nose
- Hypotropia: where one eye turns downward
- Hypertropia: a condition causing one eye to turn upward
- Nystagmus: a condition causing involuntary, erratic eye movement
The decision to undergo eye muscle surgery depends on several factors, including the severity of your condition, its impact on your daily life, and the success of previous treatments. To determine if surgery is the right option for you, schedule an eye exam at Complete EyeCare West.
Your eye doctor will carefully assess your condition and discuss all available treatment options to develop the most effective plan for your specific situation.
What Other Treatments Are Available for Strabismus?
Before recommending eye muscle surgery, your eye doctor will typically explore several non-surgical treatment options. These conservative approaches can be effective for many patients, mainly when strabismus is detected early.
Vision Therapy and Eye Exercises
Called orthoptics, these specialized exercises help strengthen eye muscle control and coordination, potentially improving eye alignment and visual function.
Prescription Glasses or Contact Lenses
Specially prescribed glasses or contact lenses can help correct refractive errors that may be contributing to eye misalignment. In some cases, simply correcting your vision can help your eyes work together more effectively.
Prism Lenses
These specialized lenses bend light before it enters your eye, helping to compensate for misalignment and reduce symptoms of double vision. They can be particularly effective for mild to moderate cases of strabismus.
If these conservative treatments don’t provide sufficient improvement after a reasonable trial period, your eye doctor may then recommend surgery as the next step.
Request an Eye Muscle Surgery Consultation
Don’t let strabismus continue to affect your quality of life when effective treatment options, including eye muscle surgery, are available. If you’re experiencing symptoms of misaligned eyes, contact Complete EyeCare West in Columbus, Ohio to schedule a consultation with our experienced team of ophthalmologists who can help determine the best treatment plan for your specific needs.
Are you wondering if eye muscle surgery is right for you? Schedule an appointment at Complete EyeCare West in Colombus, OH, today!
