Strabismus is the medical term for a squint and there is no difference at all. That said, there’s a great deal of confusion around the term a squint, especially because a squint can mean other things as well. Whilst I would argue (and I have my reasons) that we should only use the term strabismus, especially in a medical setting, there is a lot of patient information that refers to it as a squint. This only happens in English. Italians, for example, only have one word – strabismo.
So, what is strabismus? The simplest way of describing it – but it is by no means a simple condition to understand or live with – is that it means to have eyes that are misaligned.
If you are newly diagnosed, you may well be looking for more information. I hope this page, and this site will help provide information and support.
If you have been living with strabismus for a long time, you will know a lot about what has caused your strabismus and how it affects your daily life, however, you might want to help your family, friends to understand a bit more about what strabismus is so this page may be useful to them, too. The better your loved ones understand what you are experiencing, the easier it will be for you to cope.
Another thing that needs to be made clear about strabismus is that it can vary. Not everyone has the same symptoms and the causes differ. Therefore, they won’t have exactly the same experience. It is a complex condition.
Here are some links to pages that can provide facts around strabismus in adults and in children, covering topics such as :
presentation – symptoms – diagnosis – causes – treatment
The linked pages are mainly created by UK-based medical organisations such as the NHS. This is not to exclude anyone who is viewing this site from another country, but to ensure that the organisation providing the information is well-respected and well-known. Moreover, I am not a strabismus expert. I am, however, experienced in living with strabismus and my investigations and work in writing Face to Face with Strabismus has brought me into contact with leading experts in this field. I defer to others in terms of the medical information cited in this website.
I hope that every country will create its own version of this site to support their strabismus patients – adults and children – and in their own language, of course.
Strabismus (eye squint) – Moorfields Eye Hospital
Strabismus (squint) surgery | Royal Free London
Amblyopia (lazy eye) | Royal Free London
REH 133 Adult Strabismus (Squint) Surgery – Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
Glossary of Strabismus Terms
This is not a comprehensive glossary, but I will be adding to it over time. I hope it helps you and others to familiarise yourselves with some of these terms and thereby gain a bit more understanding of aspects of this condition, whether you are an adult or the parent of a child with strabismus. There is more detailed information available in the links on this page, and across the internet. I would advise you to seek information from reputable, trusted sources.
Amblyopia – lazy eye
Abnormal head posture – some patients adopt an abnormal position to try and accommodate diplopia or for greater visual acuity
Botulinum injections/Botox injections – injected into they to help with the eyes come into alignment
Diplopia – double vision, can be a symptom of strabismus
Esotropia – one eye straight, other eye turning inward
Exotropia – one eye straight, other eye turning outward
Hypertropia – one eye is straight, the other turns upwards
Hypotropia – one eye is straight, the other turns downwards
Myopia – short-sightedness
Occlusion therapy – patching treatment for amblyopia
Ophthalmologist – a specialist in the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of disorders and diseases of the eye.
Optometrist -a primary care provider who has specialised in detecting and correcting conditions that affect vision and eye health, generally based in opticians, sometimes in clinics.
Optician – Opticians are also known as dispensing opticians and can help fit you for glasses and contact lenses. They aren’t qualified to perform eye tests and can’t write prescriptions for your vision. That is the job of an Optometrist.
Orthoptist – Orthoptists are vitally important members of your strabismus care team. Orthoptists are highly trained medical professionals who can evaluate and manage eye movement abnormalities.
Prism glasses – Orthoptists can apply a prism to glasses to help correct/reduce the impact of diplopia
Strabismus surgery – an operation involving moving the muscles that control eye movement to improve the alignment of the eyes
Visual acuity – clarity of vision
Yokoyama procedure – suitable surgical option for the treatment of strabismus in patients with high myopia
*************************************
I’d like to pass on our thanks to Aleksander Stupnicki for his thoughtful and generous editorial support in the creation of this website. Alex is a medical student at University College London (UCL) with a keen interest in Ophthalmology.