What causes strabismus (crossed eyes or wandering eyes)?
The answer is not really known. Probably it is a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Misalignment of the eyes may present as one eye appearing to look straight ahead and the other eye pointing inward, outward, upward, or downward. When a child’s eyes cross or one eye wanders, there often is loss of depth perception because the eyes are not working together. The sooner these conditions are treated, the more likely that this depth perception can be regained. The most common age for strabismus to be present is between age 2 and 4 years, although some children are born with strabismus and in others it may not be apparent until the child is slightly older. Treatment of strabismus often requires the use of glasses, sometimes surgery, and rarely exercises. Often, amblyopia is also present which must be treated as well. Strabismus rarely corrects itself, so it is not something a child will simply outgrow.
