Question
A child has been diagnosed with a three-degree exotropia, with a vision of only 0.5. What are the causes of this condition, and how should it be treated?
Answer
Strabismus refers to the misalignment of the eyes’ axes, leading to a deviation of the gaze from the inner, outer, superior, and inferior directions. Normally, binocular vision should be straight and parallel. When observing objects, the image should fall on the fovea of both retinas. The brain’s fusion ability then combines the images seen by both eyes into one. In strabismus patients, when focusing on objects, the image falls outside the fovea of the normal eye, causing diplopia. Therefore, strabismus is not only an aesthetic issue but also an uncorrectable visual function disorder and amblyopia if not treated promptly. Treatment methods for strabismus may include corrective glasses, vision therapy, or surgery, depending on the specific case.