KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN, 2 June 2016 – Crossed eyes is a condition in which the two eyes failed to maintain proper alignment and work together as a team. When viewing an object, one eye looks directly at that particular object, while the other eye is misaligned inward, outward, upward or downward, focusing on another object.

When this occurs, two different images are sent to the brain, one from each eye, creating confusion to the brain.

This disorder is caused by the external muscles that hold each eyeball in its position and control the movement of the eye do not work together because some had become weaker than others due to various factors, resulting in uncoordinated movement of the eyes.

According to a lecturer from the Ophthalmology Department, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Professor Dr. Shatriah Ismail, there are two types of crossed eyes: one appears in newborn babies and usually shows symptoms after 6 months while the other occurs in adults and are usually triggered by eyes injuries or diseases/illnesses such as brain tumour, diabetes and stroke that could damage the eyes muscles and affect the eyeball movements.

“If left untreated when they are young, crossed eyes can cause children to face difficulties when they enter school as they grow older, among other things. They may also have impaired/blurred vision, lose depth/distance perception and even double vision which can often lead to eye strain, headaches, and attention problems, frustration and even lack of confidence when being teased by their classmates. Children with crossed eyes also have a higher risk of nearsightedness.

“Furthermore, individuals with this condition also find that it interferes with their daily life, especially when they enter college/university or the working world where they will meet and deal with people practically almost every day of their lives.

“Due to their difficulty in having normal eye contact with others, they will feel embarrassed, angry, and awkward, thereby affecting their basic social communication, with a possible negative effect on self-esteem,” she said further.

Shatriah added, in most cases, patients need to have their eyes checked thoroughly in order to get a proper and accurate diagnosis. The sooner they get it done, the better, and usually if it is found that there is no sign of amblyopia or ‘lazy eye’ on the affected eye, crossed eyes can be treated/corrected with surgery in adults.

“But for those who suffer from amblyopia or ‘lazy eye’ symptoms, they should first seek treatment for amblyopia and to restore normal vision before surgery can be performed to correct crossed eyes," she explained.

Shatriah stressed that cross eyes surgery is safe and in Malaysia there are several government hospitals that have paediatric ophthalmology specialists and surgical facilities, among them Hospital USM for the East-Coast states, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Selayang, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, Hospital Tuanku Mukriz Cheras and Likas Women’s and Children’s Hospital Kota Kinabalu.

As high as 80 to 90 percent of patients who undergo surgery are usually treated successfully with just one surgery, while only 10 to 15 percent of patients have to undergo surgery twice or more in cases where it involves large-angle deviation," she said.

If there is no complication, a patient is allowed to leave the ward between six to 24 hours after surgery.

Patients are advised to stay away from bathing or taking a dip in the pond or river for at least a month after surgery to avoid infection.

The earlier crossed eyes condition is treated surgically, the more likely it is that the affected eye will develop normal visual acuity and the two eyes will function together properly again as a team.

Translation: Tan Ewe Hoe

Text & Photo: Mohd Hafiz Ya'acob