The development of such a visual deviation as strabismus greatly complicates a person’s life. In addition to the visible external defect, serious vision problems arise, due to which the patient cannot engage in many activities. Modern medicine offers a large selection of methods for correcting strabismus. At the initial stage of pathology, you can cope with it at home using special computer programs, gymnastics and traditional medicine.
What is strabismus?
Strabismus (heterotropia, strabismus) is an ophthalmological disease in which the position of the eyes is directly disturbed when a person looks. With this diagnosis, the cornea of one or two organs of vision deviates from the central axis, as a result of which the brain receives 2 different images; the picture visible to a person is distorted and unclear. With strabismus, the following symptoms are observed:
- splitting of objects;
- increased sensitivity to light;
- blurred image;
- unconscious squinting;
- bending, turning the head to the side;
- rapid eye fatigue;
- lack of three-dimensional vision;
- migraine.
The reasons for the development of strabismus can be very different. The pathological process can develop in the prenatal period or at any stage of adult life. Most often, strabismus is diagnosed in children aged 2-3 years. How to cure heterotropia? Treatment of strabismus, depending on the degree of neglect, can be carried out conservatively or surgically.
In most cases, doctors prescribe optical correction, in addition to which it is necessary to treat strabismus at home.
How to massage a child with strabismus?
A special massage also serves as an addition to the main therapy for strabismus. Its task is to relax the eye muscles, prepare them for exercises or hardware procedures. Massaging improves blood circulation and oxygen supply to the tissues of the eyeballs.
The massage is performed by lightly applying the fingertips to the corners of the child's eyes. The contact should be felt, but you should not press too hard so that the baby does not get scared. Do the procedure for 2-3 minutes in a circular motion with your eyelids closed.
Of course, eye massage will not get rid of strabismus. However, do not forget that treatment must be comprehensive. This pathology takes a long time to be treated, at least a year. Every effort must be made to correct this defect without surgery.
Visual gymnastics for adults
How to get rid of strabismus on your own? One of the best methods for correcting strabismus is visual gymnastics. Regular performance of a special gymnastic complex helps strengthen the muscular system of the eyes and increase visual acuity. Treatment of strabismus in adults at home involves performing the following simple exercises:
- Move your eyes up and down, left and right.
- Rotate your eyes clockwise and then in the opposite direction.
- Draw an imaginary figure eight with your eyes (you can draw other numbers, signs or letters).
- Bring your eyes together at the bridge of your nose, and then return them to their normal position.
- Extend your hand in front of you, raise your index finger up, and without taking your eyes off it, slowly bring your finger to the tip of your nose.
- Blink quickly and often for 30 seconds, and then look ahead for the same amount of time.
There are a large number of eye exercises for strabismus that can correct the deviation. To select a suitable gymnastic complex and additional treatment, you need to contact an ophthalmologist.
Surgical correction of strabismus in adults
Some patients show not entirely meaningful persistence, demanding from ophthalmologists a radical correction of strabismus “in one sitting, even with a scalpel.” This kind of maximalism is usually due to insufficient information. First of all, patients should know and take into account that restoration of the normal position and synchronous mobility of the eyeballs has a purely external, cosmetic effect and does not at all mean automatic restoration of visual functions.
Surgery to correct strabismus in adults is not always indicated; the operation is prescribed depending on a number of clinical and anamnestic characteristics (heredity, age, acquired or congenital type of strabismus, etc.). For example, in some cases, surgery is aimed at recreating the natural muscle balance in the oculomotor system: surgically strengthening or weakening an incorrectly functioning muscle. There are various techniques - resection, recession (shortening) of the muscle, transfer of the attachment point, etc. Usually, surgical correction requires not one, but several muscles at the same time, excessively tense or, conversely, relaxed; In some cases, both eyes have to be operated on, in others, only the squinting eye is corrected. As a rule, the operation is planned and carried out in several stages.
Visual gymnastics for children
How to get rid of heterotropia in a child at home? To treat strabismus in children at home, it is recommended to perform the following exercises with your baby:
- Draw a sheet of paper into squares, in which draw various figures. Some of them must be repeated. Ask your child to find the same images.
- Take a bright pen or pencil and move it in different directions. The baby should follow the movement of the object with his eyes without turning his head. First you need to do the exercise with both eyes, and then with each in turn.
- Find pictures on the Internet in which you need to find 5 or 10 differences and ask your child to find them.
- Place colorful pictures with animals on different sides of the child and ask him to find a cat, a dog, and so on.
Read in a separate article: Concomitant strabismus: types and methods of diagnosis, symptoms and treatment
Gymnastics should not take much time, as the baby may get tired and not want to do the exercises next time. The main thing is that the treatment takes place at ease, in a playful way. How to check the condition of a child's eyes? To do this, you need to consult a doctor.
Exercises for strabismus
I would like to note that treating strabismus without surgery is a long journey of several months and even years. But with the right approach and following all the doctor’s instructions, you can completely get rid of this disease. The most effective thing is to strengthen the eye muscles with the help of special exercises.
- Stand up straight and extend your hand in front of you. Focus on one finger. Then you need to slowly bring your finger to your face, and then slowly move it back. The head is motionless, only the pupils follow one point. After that, move your finger left, right, up and down. Repeat each movement 5 times.
- Stand by the window and stick a picture with bright colors on the glass. Look at the picture at arm's length. Then look at the antenna of a neighboring house or any other object in the distance. After 30 seconds, look at the picture again. This way you focus your vision on far and near objects, this is an excellent exercise for training the eye muscles. Separately, the exercise can be done with one sore eye.
- The next exercise is figure eight. You need to draw a huge figure eight in front of you with your pupils. Movements should be smooth, try not to cut corners. After this, try to make an inverted figure eight - an infinity sign. Do the exercise slowly and carefully.
- Have you been to the tennis court? This is a great place to train your eyesight. Constantly changing the position of the ball forces you to move your eyes from side to side. Instead of tennis, any ball games are suitable - volleyball or basketball. You can watch the game or participate in it - it is equally beneficial for your eyesight.
- Train the eye that squints. Cover the healthy eye with a bandage and try to look with the affected eye in the direction where it does not want to turn. Look at a bright object with at least peripheral vision, train an undeveloped muscle.
- If you encounter strabismus in a young child, he will not be able to consciously perform eye exercises. Therefore, show him colorful images that should be placed to the right and left of him. Constantly ask, “Where is the bird?”, “Where is the ant?”, so that the child involuntarily trains his eye muscles by looking up and down.
Patient daily work will help restore the sore eye. Regular exercise will make you not only healthy, but also a confident person. This is evidenced by the huge number of positive reviews from people who have overcome this disease. Be healthy and happy!
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Treatment using computer programs (video)
How to get rid of a visual defect quickly and painlessly? An effective method of treating strabismus at home is computer programs that, in a playful way, allow you to correct the visual defect. The following ophthalmological programs are used to treat strabismus:
- Flower;
- Lapwing;
- Blade-2;
- Spider;
- Crosses.
Program treatment at home helps to train the eye muscles, develop visual perception, coordinate the work of both eyes and restore binocular vision, and also help correct the external defect.
Eye exercises for strabismus in children
A set of exercises is selected by a doctor. They are performed daily. It should be understood that eye exercises and massage are part of the therapy. The basis of conservative treatment is sessions of hardware procedures in the clinic. Let's take a look at a few exercises that may be suitable for kids:
- Exercises with pictures. The patient is shown two images in which it is necessary to look for differences. Pictures with labyrinths are also suitable. They are suitable for children who are already going to school.
- Exercise with a lace. His child must stretch it into all the holes of the picture shown on the sheet of paper. Gradually you need to complicate the task, reducing the distance between the holes.
- Exercise with a flashlight. Cover it with a piece of colored paper to reduce the light intensity. Next, you should move it in different directions, and the child should follow it with his eyes. Explain to him that he cannot move his head. Exercise in the form of some kind of game.
Treatment with Vizulon
Vizulon is a unique device designed to restore vision at home. This device operates on the principle of color therapy. During treatment with Vizulon, the human brain is affected by a specially designed colorogram, which immerses the patient in a relaxed state, positively affecting the entire body.
This is what Vizulon looks like in gray
How to get rid of heterotropia with Vizulon and how does it affect vision? Color therapy promotes rhythmic contraction of the eye muscles, due to which metabolism in the eye tissues improves, visual tension and fatigue are relieved, and congestion is eliminated.
The Vizulon device is suitable for the treatment of strabismus of any age and helps to effectively correct the defect.
Nutrition
With complex treatment, heterotropia should also be corrected by changing the diet. A patient with strabismus can improve vision if he eats foods that strengthen the eye muscles.
In order to eliminate strabismus, doctors recommend eating more foods high in protein. This includes lean meat, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, kefir, fish, sour cream, and seafood. Fresh vegetables and fruits contain a lot of vitamins, so you need to eat as much of them as possible. They not only improve vision, but also strengthen the immune system. Carrots, raspberries, tomatoes, persimmons, grapes, pumpkin, oranges and sea buckthorn are considered especially useful.
Also, when thinking through your diet, do not forget about fresh greens. If possible, it should be added to first and second courses, as well as to salads. You should try to eat fresh lettuce, celery, spinach, parsley or sorrel every day. For preparing salads, it is best to use vegetable oil. In addition, it will be useful to include nuts or seeds.
Patients with strabismus will have to make it a rule to eat some kind of cereal every day. This could be oats, rice, buckwheat, wheat, peas or corn. Instead of tea, you can drink fresh vegetable juices, rosehip, clover or currant tincture.
Home treatment can only be effective if the patient has no contraindications, so it is best to consult a doctor on how to remove the pathology in a particular case.
Unconventional methods of treatment
How to get rid of strabismus without drugs? A wonderful addition to the main treatment is unconventional therapy for strabismus, with which you can strengthen the eye muscles and increase visual acuity. For strabismus, it is recommended to use the following folk remedies at home:
- Cabbage. Cabbage leaves should be boiled in salted water and eaten as often as possible. In order to correct the defect faster, you can use cabbage broth.
- Air. A tablespoon of dried crushed roots of marsh calamus should be poured with 250 ml of boiling water, let it brew, filter and take 50 ml 3 times a day before meals.
- Rose hip. A glass of rose hips must be filled with 1 liter of water, boiled and put in a dry place for 5 hours, then strained and taken 1 glass 30 minutes before meals.
- Clover. A tablespoon of dry crushed clover leaves should be poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water, left to steep and taken half a glass twice a day, 2 hours after meals.
A good folk remedy for strabismus in children is dark dark chocolate, carrot juice, and blueberry tea.
Treatment of strabismus with herbal eye drops
Eye drops are prepared from dill. Pour 10 g of dill powder into a glass of boiling water. Apply this decoction to your eyes two to three times a day. You can also use a decoction of dill or its powder as a steam bath for the eyes.
Prepare medicinal drops for strabismus from fresh apple juice, May honey and onion juice in a ratio of 3:3:1. Apply this mixture to your eyes at night for 10 days. After a break, the course can be repeated.
Honey has a beneficial effect on the eyes. To prepare the drops, dilute a quarter teaspoon of honey in a tablespoon of water. Drip 1-2 drops 2 times a day.
Prevention
You can prevent the development of strabismus if you perform the following preventive measures at home:
- monitor eye hygiene;
- Healthy food;
- avoid head and eye injuries;
- do not strain your eyes;
- do visual gymnastics;
- do not work in poor lighting;
- do not deliberately squint;
- to live an active lifestyle;
- do not sit for a long time at the TV or computer;
- place the crib further from the TV;
- hang toys evenly on the crib.
It is also necessary to carry out timely treatment of any diseases and regularly visit an ophthalmologist for a medical examination.
If the baby has a genetic predisposition, then you need to periodically show him to the doctor.
Author of the article: Kvasha Anastasia Pavlovna, specialist for the website glazalik.ru Share your experience and opinion in the comments.
Prevention of amblyopia
To prevent deterioration of vision in the deviating eye, it is necessary to prevent the development of amblyopia: the brain should not “forget” about the existence of the diseased eyeball
To do this, it is important to let the eye work. And this can only be done by gluing a healthy organ
By closing the healthy eye, the brain is forced to receive a picture only from the eyeball that deviates from the normal position. To give it a “leading role,” cover the healthy organ with a light-blocking bandage, or seal it with a plaster, after placing a handkerchief. You can also use glasses, one side of which does not allow light to pass through.
Let's work only on the oblique eye several times a day. As a result, the brain will force it to work correctly. Over time, binocular vision may be restored.
A set of preventive measures for the treatment of strabismus
These measures have been tested and will help prevent the pathological process. It is necessary to regularly show your baby to a pediatric ophthalmologist, especially if he wears glasses. It is also important to maintain visual hygiene, alternating between intense eye work and rest. It is important for both adults and children to avoid increased visual stress. The belief associated with the possibility of strabismus going away on its own is erroneous, since in the absence of treatment the situation can only get worse. A competent approach to complex therapy will relieve you of illness and ensure good health.
Strabismus in a child: treatment features Cause of strabismus: diagnosis and prevention of pathology Symptoms of strabismus and methods of correction Features of drug treatment of strabismus