
Strabismus is an eye condition found in many people around the world. Surgery, so far, is one of the best treatment to overcome this problem. More information on that…
People suffer from various health problems. Some of them are birth defects, while some of them follow after an injury. Strabismus or squint is one such condition associated with the misalignment and incoordination of the extraocular muscles, that enable us to have a double vision. Since olden days, we have been hearing that birth defects are irreparable. However, with technological advancements in the medical science and surgical procedures, it’s now possible to repair strabismus and also improve the normal vision of the person. Seek answers to your questions related to this surgery in the given article..
Procedure
Let us first answer, what is strabismus surgery? Well, it is the surgical procedure, done mainly to repair the muscle alignment of the eyes and also improve the double vision of the person. It is one of the most widely followed surgery in the world and probably the third most common surgery in America. It is generally advised to treat squint at a young age, with the help of surgery for children, as at a young age the body responds best to recovery. However, adult surgery is also done on a large-scale.
Strabismus surgery is just a one day procedure and resembles an outpatient surgery, wherein the patient is allowed to arrive just a few hours before the surgery and then relieved from the hospital, after some hours, once the surgery gets over. The procedure is also not very complicated and involves the following steps.
- The very first step is to apply general anesthesia to the patient, and then once its effect starts, continue with the further procedure.
- Surgeons make an incision of about 0.25-0.30 inch on the clear membrane that engulfs the white portion of the eye.
- The incision is kept in place and then the squint is corrected
- Fine and minute stitches are then placed to properly align the eye muscles.
Are There Any Risks Involved?
Well, it’s a surgical procedure! Therefore, as with all other operations, strabismus surgery also holds some risks. Although the surgery is associated with treating the misalignment of eye muscles, sometimes the surgery itself can trigger some eye complications, worsening the situation! Vision loss has also been observed in a few cases. Moreover, death cases have also been reported.
However all these instances are very rare and you only need to take care that, the surgery is done by a renowned surgeon. Sometimes, there are a lot of pre-existing complications in the patient’s eye, therefore surgery might go wrong or would not fulfill its purpose of rectifying the eye fault and repair the misalignment. In such cases, strabismus correction surgery needs to be undergone.
What is the Cost of This Surgery?
The cost of the surgery generally depends upon the type of surgical equipment involved in the operation, the type of anesthesia given, the surgeons involved and most importantly the existing complications in the eye or the complications that arise when the surgery is in progress. However, considering the average, the strabismus surgery cost would normally be in the range of USD 2000 – USD 6000.
How Much is the Recovery Time?
As far as observations are concerned, the average time required for complete recovery is about five to six weeks. Blood tinged tears or mild crusting of eyes might appear, some days after the operation. To relieve this, medications such as antibiotics or eye drops might be prescribed. The patient can resume the daily activities after a week or so. However, heavy physical activities that can exert strain on the eyes are not advised. Taking proper post surgery care prescribed by the eye surgeon, would reduce the recovery time for this surgery.
Eyes are one of the most precious organs of our body. It is through them, that we enjoy the beauty of each and everything in life! So, care for them! Hope the above discussion was sufficient enough to give an overview about the strabismus eye surgery and other aspects associated with it.