There are those who refer to strabismus as a cosmetic condition, suggesting that correcting visibly misaligned eyes is on a par with having a tummy tuck or botox injections to freeze wrinkles.
Having visibly misaligned eyes is the result of a medical condition: strabismus. Fixing this problem is treating that medical condition. It is not a lifestyle choice or a beauty treatment.
Consider what it is like to have noticeably misaligned eyes, with one eye looking straight ahead and the other turned inward, or outwards, possibly upwards or down. This leaves most patients feeling disfigured. They will hide behind their hand or hair. They will not meet the eyes of others because they often cannot look straight into their eyes. It’s also distressing to be stared at, or worse still, laughed at – yes it does happen. In addition, if they also have diplopia (double-vision) they will see two overlapping faces when there should only be one. All of this is extremely upsetting and debilitating and makes daily life with strabismus a challenge.
And just going back to botox injections – yes, these are used in the treatment of strabismus, but not to fix wrinkles! It’s not a ‘tweakment’. The botox is injected into the eye muscle to help bring both eyes into alignment. The use of botox injections just adds to the confusion around strabismus because the general public mostly know about botox injections in relation to cosmetic treatment for wrinkles.
Why does it matter to make it clear that strabismus is not a cosmetic condition? Because some commissioners – the people who decide on the funding in the public and private health sector – still consider strabismus to be a cosmetic condition and don’t always support strabismus treatment. This is in spite of the fact that there is valuable research conducted by experts in the field of strabismus that challenges the description of strabismus as a cosmetic condition.
To help you locate research related to strabismus, I will be creating a designated page on this site soon, a library of free articles, and listings of strabismus publications and papers. The psycho-social impact of living with strabismus, especially as an adult, can be traumatic. It can reduce work opportunities and obstruct social mobility. Interacting with others can be difficult leading to isolation.
Strabismus is not a life-threatening condition, but it can be livelihood-threatening, harmful to job opportunities, life chances and psychological wellbeing. It bears repeating; strabismus is not a cosmetic condition.