Squint eye or Strabismus is often referred to as crossed eyes, but it can be present differently. It is a misalignment of both the eyes, where they do not look in the same direction. One eye may not focus on the object or person someone is looking at. For example, if the patient looks straight ahead at an object, the other eye may turn either inwards, outwards, upwards, or downwards.
It is commonly perceived that squint is a permanent condition and people fail to acknowledge that the eyes can be straightened at any age.
There are a lot of questions as to what causes squint eye. Is it by birth? Caused due to an accident? Or is it hereditary?
We have an answer to that question. It is caused due to an incorrect balance of muscles, refractive error, nerve palsy, childhood illness, and a few other reasons. But, the most important thing is that it can be fixed.
Certain treatments range from prescription eyewear to surgery to align the eyes. But, there are a lot of vision therapy programs that have started incorporating exercises for the eyes as well.
Exercises to treat squint eye
We know how difficult it is to go to the gym regularly and how much we would love to skip the gym for any reason possible. We have another workout routine for you but don’t worry, you don’t need to go to the gym for this one. It is a simple and easy workout routine that you can do anytime, staying in the comfort of your home.
Certain exercises can be a great way to treat your squint eye, but these exercises, no matter how effective they can be, should not be substituted for medical treatment if your condition persists in aggravating.
Here are 3 exercises you can do at your home to help with your squint eye:
- Pencil Pushups
Luckily these are not the conventional pushups we have all seen and hated.
Technically you will require a pencil for this exercise, but any other object in the shape of a pencil can also be used.
In this exercise, the pencil, or the pencil-like object, is to be held directly in front of you, at an arm’s length. You would be required to then draw the pencil slowly towards your nose. You will have to follow the pencil with your eyes to keep it in clear focus. There will be a point when the pencil starts to appear as a double image as you do this. Then you should draw it away from your nose again, in a similar fashion. This exercise can be done several times throughout your day, depending on your needs.
- Brock String
A brock string is a very common vision therapy tool. It is a flexible white cord or a string, around 10-15 feet long, and has colored wooden beads that can be moved to various positions along the length of the string. This offers instant feedback to the participants whether their eyes are working together to focus on an object at various distances or not.
Setting up the Brock String
- Make a loop at both ends of the string.
- Attach one end of the string to a doorknob
- Position the farthest bead near the end of the string, closer to the doorknob.
- Place the middle bead around 2-5 ft. away from you.
- Place the nearest bead about 6 inches away from your nose.
- Face the doorknob and stand directly in front of it. Wrap the loop around your index finger and hold the string under your nose. Place it like an imaginary mustache.
- Hold the string up to the bridge of your nose so that it is completely stretched out between your nose and the doorknob.
Procedure
- Fix your eyes on the closest bead. If it appears to be double, this indicates a teaming eye problem. You should move the bead closer or push it further away till you see it as a single bead. This bead should be moved closer and close as the task becomes easier.
- As you progress with this task, the closest bead should be only an inch away from the bridge of your nose.
- As you continue to look at the nearest bead, you should see two strings, both of which should appear to come from your eyes. If the fixation of the bead is accurate, both the strings should appear to meet exactly at the bead, forming an ‘X.’ As you gradually bring the bead an inch away from your nose, both the strings should appear to meet exactly at the bead forming a ‘V’’.
- Now shift your eyes to the bead in the middle and then to the one which is the furthest away and repeat. If the fixation of the farthest bead is accurate, then both the strings should appear to meet exactly at the bead, forming a ‘V’.
- Change the location of the beads and repeat.
3. Barrel Cards
They are a form of cards with three different-sized barrels. The barrels can be found on each side of the card in different pairs of colours.
Procedure
- Take a card, and hold it from the lower edge using your index finger and thumb.
- Make sure the smallest barrel is closest to the nose by holding the card against the bridge of your nose, with your chin slightly elevated.
- Then try to see the first, second, and third barrel pairs.
- Try to focus on the barrels for 5 seconds, and then do it backward too.
- Repeat the previous point 10 more times.
Conclusion
As bad as it may sound and look, squint eye can be treated without any difficulties through a hybrid treatment regime of exercises and medical treatments. The exercises are equally important as the medical side of this treatment. Follow these three exercises and visit an ophthalmologist to help fix this condition.