When I look back on the day strabismus surgery was recommended as the next step in our son’s treatment, my first instinct was to think of ways to protect my son. “Surgery? Isn’t there anything else we can try?”
Considering the situation, this was an understandable reaction. And to be honest, my wife and I had different reactions and different emotions which overcame us. We actually go into detail on our differing perspectives in our book but I’ll try to stay on topic for this post…. Is Strabismus Surgery Safe?
Well, I think they practice a canned response to this anticipated question in medical school and instruct ophthalmologists to respond with “The day of the surgery, the most dangerous thing you will do is drive to the hospital.” That was the response we received to our question. Well fine, but that doesn’t do much to calm a parent going through this for the first time.
We looked at our child and he smiled at us with his beautiful cross eyed smile that we had fallen in love with since he was just a few months old. “OK” we told the doc and followed with “what are the risks and what should we expect?” Our questions were answered and others which we didn’t know we had were answered only through our actual experience.
Compared to other surgeries, strabismus surgery is actually quite simple in concept. The surgery is performed on the extraocular muscles (the muscles that surround the eye) and performed through a tiny incision on the clear membrane which covers the white part of the eye. The muscles are tightened or weakened by shortening or repositioning the muscles. Then the clear membrane is stitched up and its all done. The eye ball never leaves the socket and the incision is far enough back that you’ll never see it. The biggest risk in the actual surgery is the anesthesia and your child will be monitored throughout the surgery.
Some things to expect after strabismus surgery include possible vomiting (from the anesthesia), visible blood on the eye (and possibly tear drops of blood). The skin area surrounding the eye may also become swollen and your child may want to rub his/her eye(s). Once the anesthesia wore off, our son continued to be sleepy (and clingy) and simply wanted to be held. However in the recovery room we also saw some children that simply wanted to be left alone, so the key here is to listen to what the child wants and will make him/her most comfortable.
Once you get home and your child begins to adjust to his/her new alignment, you should be very observant and even take pictures and video. For us this was one of the most emotional times of our journey to see him learn to use his eyes together for the very first time! What an awesome experience this was for us and him. This is one reason why it is important to make the decision regarding strabismus surgery as soon as necessary in order to increase the chances of your child gaining binocular vision.
Aligned and ready for the world!
So yes, strabismus surgery is safe, but like any other surgery involving anesthesia there are some risks. In our opinion the risks were minimal compared to the reward we saw unfold in front of us as our son learned the meaning of depth perception. As we reveal in our book, his eyes later went back to being crossed and required repeat strabismus surgery. Depending on the severity, the type of crossing and the age of your child your results will also vary but in the end just keep in mind that your child is the most precious thing in your life and you should be willing to risk in order to help him/her have a comfortable future. After our son’s 4th surgery over a year ago, his eyes now remain aligned well within range of maintaining binocular vision and he has no signs of amblyopia.
Nice blog..
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!
Hello, I just wanted to share my perspective on strabismus. It’s my own personal one! I have had a weakened superior oblique muscle since the age of 2, causing strabismus only obvious when I try to look to my left, causing me to tilt my head sideways fairly permanently.
When I was young, doctors gave my parents rather risky odds of making an improvement, so no operation was done and we just focussed on eye exercises which helped a bit. Glasses were never an option.
I coped very well until recently. Last year, now myself well over 30 years old, I made the decision to have the surgery done as I started having increasing problems (including bad headaches caused by a pretty well shot neck from a constant head-tilt).
The surgery changed my life, giving me the ability to see things in-depth – and aleviated my symptoms. Personally I don’t regret waiting so long – my condition (superior oblique muscle malfunction) is a more tricky one to treat than the other 4 eye muscles.
I would say that if you have a child with this problem now, you are much luckier in that surgery and the side-effects are so much better researched now, although there is always a risk of something, including actually a risk of making strabismus worse. But the odds are better than they used to be.
I am glad I stumbled upon your blog. We just found out that glasses are not an option to correct my 16 month old’s cross-eyedness. So many questions, but I know they will be answered once we get to the specialists/surgeons. Was comforting to read about your story.
I’ll be checking out your website. Thank you.
Thank you for the comments!
i just had this surgery 5 days ago, i am so scared, it feels so weird, my eyes and head are straight, but the actual vision is so different, blurry and makes me dizzy. i just want to keep my eyes closed (or at lease one of them) and sleep all day, will this feeling go away?
Hi, I just stumbled upon your blog. I have struggled with strabismus my entire life. Doctors would never give my parents the surgery option because they said it was only a cosmetic fix. I’ve struggled with self esteem issues and to this day I have a hard time making eye contact.
I had my first surgery at age 30 after I was referred to an incredible strabismus specialist. It was life altering. I still have not been able to get used to making eye contact with people, but I’ve been getting there. It’s been nearly 2 years, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed that my eyes were working independently again. My eye is starting to turn out again. I went in and the doc wants to do another surgery. I’m torn about it, but I am going to do it. I’ve read that sometimes it can take 2-3 or more surgeries before if is corrected. I also realize that it may always go back out, but I must try again. thank you for your inspiring blog!
hi… my daughter (3) is having surgery to correct her intermittent exotropia this friday and I was really wanting to know what to expect when it is over. You know, what she might feel like or see or do. I feel much better now after reading your blog and I am thankful for the things you shared. I know I would have freaked out if I saw bloody tears! So… I just wanted to say thank you. Have a blessed day.
~Aubri
I am sorry I did not reply much sooner. Did your dizziness go away? I’m hoping and betting that it did. After not having aligned vision your brain needed to adjust to the new you. Hope all is well.
My seventeen month old son has intermittent exotropia. He had surgery on both eyes last month. The surgery did not take very long. When he started to wake up he was groggy, his eyes were swollen, he had a slight fever, and cried once in a while. When he was fully awake he grabbed at his eyes and cried but I was able to hold him and comfort him enough to calm him. After the surgery we went straight home. When I put him on the floor at home he immediately went for a toy. I made lunch and only heard him cry a few times but it didn’t last long. After lunch, which was about 45 minutes after we arrived home, I put him down for a nap. He cried a little through out his nap but he was ok. After his nap he was totally fine and didn’t act like he just had surgery.
He had bloody tears the first two days and gunk on his eye lashes for about 5 days. Now I’m watching how his eyes are healing. I have noticed his right eye turn inward and it appears to me he is now a little cross-eyed. We’ve seen the doctor twice since the surgery and I have informed the doctor of it and he said to watch it until his next appointment in a month. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m happy he had the surgery while he was young to help prevent future eye problems.
i found your blog when i google Strabismus Surgery. I’m 30 years old this year. i’ve divergent squint on both side of my eyes. i’ve thinking of corrective surgery however i’m scare to take the risk. I’m from Malaysia, and have been hearing more failure than success stories about eye surgeon here. Still thinking to go or not to go.
Hello, loved the story by the way. My strabismus started during around age 9 or 10, and I still have it (Currecntly 15 now.)
I’ve been doing ALOT of eye excercises online, but they’ve really never helped me use the two of them instead of one. I’ve talked to my mother about eye surgery, but i just don’t know why she will not do it (Kind of ticks me off..).
Really needed to read this because I’m going to have to tell her I need it. I’ve used glasses before, but they’ve never really helped neither to align them correctly like I want it to. Being like this really gives me very low confidence to make eye contact with peers and others….
Thank you Melissa, im really inspired. Im also leaving with strabismus and im considering to go surgery.
For anyone who has had surgery after age 30, can you make recommendations on your surgeon and how well you responded to the surgery? Any side effects or problems with recuperating? How long were you out of work? I’m 42 and am finally getting up the courage to see if this can help me. I’ve lived with this all my life and the thought of having 2 eyes that work in sync with each other is unbelievable.
Thanks!
I am 39 years old and I have strabismus since I was a kid. It is not fun going through life with is but I am thankful that I have sight. I had my first surgery when I was 5 but my eyes were not entirely straight (better than it was though). I am having the surgery again in November and I am hoping that it turns out well. I have problems making eye contact with people due to all the ridicule I had when i was a kid. I have hope that this will work and make me feel better about myself. I am married with two kids but I feel that I need to do this for me! I take my kids to see Disney 3D movies but due to the strabismus, I am unable to see the 3D. I will post after my surgery and let eveyrone know how it went. Hopefully it will be a positive post!
Helena, how are things going? I didn’t see any responses and wanted to share my thoughts. If you have not yet found an ophthalmologist to treat your strabismus, I would recommend that you work with a pediatric ophthalmologist because they likely have more experience doing these surgeries as a specific area of specialty on a routine and weekly basis.
One thing to note however is that because you are 42, your vision is not likely to result in a fused 3-D image. It will however improve your self-image and any social stigma associated with having strabismus. Personally I would recommend strabismus surgery for anyone at any age with strabismus.
I had surgery 12 days ago in NYC. It was a great success and for the first time in 43 years I have straight eyes. I have a blog if you are interested let me know and I will send you the address.
Had the surgery done two days before Thanksgiving and I am very pleased with the results. I am still adjusting and healing from the surgery but I am confident that I made the right choice. My alignment is great but it will probably take another week for me to heal completely. My eyes feel a little strange due to the stitches and my eyes get blurry from my semi watery eyes. I have also been putting prescription eye drops to help keep my eyes clean. I am very glad I went through with this procedure. Dr. Bishop was very friendly and his staff was excellent! http://www.bishopeyes.com
My son who was just turning 3 at the time had intermittent strabismus. He wore the patch covering his strong eye for about a year (on and off). The patching help develop almost equal intermittency with both eyes instead of just one eye. Apparently this is the “ideal” circumstance before surgery for better outcome since both eyes are operated.
The outcome: The surgery has helped but not 100% as surgery helps with the muscle correction but not the brain connectivity. I would recommend eye exercises within the first week to train the eyes. 1 year later, his intermittency is not as apparent as before surgery. especially indoors, but still an underlying problem especially when looking in the distance. While Outdoors – light sensitivity – still an issue.
Hope this helps. We are still working on patching his eyes and will be seeing another child opthamologist.
Thank you for posting this. My daughter (age 3) has been seeing an opthamologist for a year now b/c we noticed one eye drifting out when she wasn’t focusing on anything. Today he told us that it is getting worse and we have a consult with a surgeon early next month. I am nervous, of course, but it is helpful to read about people’s actual experiences with the surgery.
I am 22 with strabismus. I do not know whether Ghanaian doctors have little knowledge about I have been trying to have the surgery ever since I realized the default, aged 13. The doctors only prescribe not the surgery. I have stopped using any prescription to prevent complications. Now I am facing the worst in my life. I am at the university who would like to be a student leader, but my own friends tell me I should not waste my time and I know why. I need help to be like my other friends other wise I would spend the rest of my life after school at the office with no public.
I have superior oblique overaction. the 1st bout of surgery on both eyes was sucessful for a couple of months then my eyes turned outwards and experienced double vision.
I got this done aged 26 in 2007.
Last week I got it done again and I have to say I am noticing results. healing process is a bit slow compared to the last time , however I hope it will not go back the way it did the last time.
I am still experiencing headaches , dizziness and heavy eyes, but heres hoping , as I was very nervous recently about getting it done.
I do wonder if it would have been beneficial getting it corrected when I was a youngster , it would have saved me alot of sleepless nights and smart comments from insecure people. Please if anyone has any advise or wants to make a few wee pointers , please feel free. xx
Hi,
I’m 42 and just had strabismus surgery on Friday. I have a phobia of hospitals but my experience was awesome. My surgeon was, Dr. Edsel Ing, who is regarded as one of the best in the country. I had some swelling for about a week but very little pain, mostly discomfort for a couple of days. I was given 2 kinds of eye drops and I used frozen washcloths to reduce the swelling for about 5 days. I’m so happy with the results! During the 1st 2 days, I had a few pinkish tear drops but no bruising. Over the first 4 days, occasionally, I felt like there was an eyelash in my eye and I had waves of a motion-sickness like feeling with some blurriness. It’s now been a week and the nausea is gone. I think I’ll probably need a new eyeglass prescription but, other than that, I feel great! Be brave. It’s worth it!