What is esotropia in children?

When I was in school, there was a boy in my class whose eyes looked differently from ours. His eyes were slanted, like cross-eyed, and he was often the object of ridicule by the naughty kids in the class. I think many children with this eye symptom have experienced this before, but do you know what esotropia is in children?

What is esotropia in children? What people generally call "cross-eyed" is medically called "esotropia". In most cases, the angle of deviation is the same when looking in different directions. Strabismus is commonly known as out-of-window, which means that the eyeball is not in the normal position. Sometimes, although young children do not really have strabismus, their eyeballs appear to be misaligned. This is because their nose bridge is not fully developed and there is more skin on the inside of the eye, covering the white of the eye. As a result, it appears that there is more white on the outside of the eye than on the inside, making it appear as if the eyeball is tilted inwards. This condition is called pseudostrabismus. Usually as the child grows older and the bridge of the nose is fully developed, the eyes naturally appear straight.

In addition, myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism may also cause parents to mistakenly believe that the child has strabismus. As long as the refractive error is corrected, the child will no longer squint or tilt his head to see things. One type of esotropia is related to the ability to accommodate. When looking at close objects, the eye reflexes, such as pupil constriction and eye convergence, are different from those of ordinary people. For example, if the eye's ability to converge is too strong, the eyeball moves inward too much, forming "cross-eyes". This situation often occurs around the age of two.

Another type of condition that is not related to accommodation ability is congenital esotropia. Usually, the symptom of "cross-eyed" is more obvious, and there are complications such as amblyopia. Amblyopia must be treated first before considering surgical correction of strabismus. In addition to being unsightly, strabismus is often complicated by refractive errors or amblyopia, and will not improve with growth. If treatment is started after the age of seven, the effect will be reduced. Therefore, if you suspect your child has strabismus, you should see a doctor as soon as possible to avoid delaying treatment. The earlier congenital strabismus is treated, the better. Treatment before the age of two at the latest can achieve better results, but it is not easy to restore to normal levels.

Strabismus, which is related to accommodation ability, must first be corrected with glasses. If the "cross-eyes" have existed for some time and cannot be completely resolved even with glasses, then surgical treatment should be considered. The treatment of exotropia may start with myopia correction, but if the angle is quite obvious, surgery is more effective.

Through the above introduction, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of what esotropia is in children. Esotropia in children is an eye disease. Parents should pay attention to this problem during their children's growth. If strabismus occurs, parents should accompany their children to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible to prevent their children from becoming the object of ridicule by classmates because of strabismus. This will hurt the children's self-esteem and be detrimental to their healthy physical and mental development.