principles of management of non-paralytic squint
Last reviewed 01/2018
Non-paralytic squint can be managed on several fronts, best remembered by the fact that they all start with an o:
- optical measures:
- prescription of spectacles to overcome refractive errors, principally in squint caused by long sight
- this sharpens retinal images and decreases accommodative convergence
- orthoptic exercises:
- performed best by orthoptists where the patient is encouraged to fuse images with the lazy eye
- occlusion of the better-seeing eye:
- to force the squinting amblyopic eye to take up fixation and thus improve its level of visual acuity
- this works best if started at an early age
- usually requires many hours each day over weeks or months
- operative correction of the squint