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Strabismus
Strabismus - Causes
Causes of Strabismus
The primary causes of strabismus are when the muscles of the eye do not work properly. It takes six muscles to keep the eye working well. All these six muscles focus on the same object, and convey this image to brain, which then interprets it. The main cause is muscle control and not so much muscle strength.
When strabismus occurs, one eye looks at one image and the other eye looks at the other image. The brain then gets confused and may eventually learn to ignore the weaker image. This condition could lead to eventual loss of vision called amblyopia. In this condition, the eye that the brain is ignoring; actually loses vision. Occasionally amblyopia shows up before strabismus starts to show.
Sometimes other health conditions can also lead to strabismus. Some of these conditions are
- Nerve and brain disorders like a stroke or cerebral palsy
- Damage to the retina at premature birth
- Injuries to the eyes or the eyeball
- Tumors
- Diabetes
- Vision loss from any previous disease or injury
- Shellfish poisoning
- Botulism poisoning
- Congenital rubella
- Guillain Barre syndrome
- Graves disease
- Increased cranial pressure on certain nerves
Strabismus can also be hereditary. Farsightedness is often a cause, especially in children, and it could lead to strabismus.
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