Eye Movement Disorder Therapy

There are several different types of eye movement disorders, and they are usually diagnosed in children. In more severe cases, surgical procedures may be necessary to treat the condition. In other cases, as with the common "lazy eye" condition, physical stimulation and therapy can be used as a corrective measure.

Identification

• The first step in understanding what type of therapy or corrective measure is called for with an eye movement disorder is getting a correct diagnosis. Misalignment of the eye is called strabismus, and its causes are not completely known. Strabismus is most common in children ages 18 months to 6 years. However, young children usually don't notice early stages of eye misalignment, so take a look at your child's eyes to see if you notice any misdirection, and regardless, get a normal eye exam for your child by the age of 4.

Therapy

• Following diagnosis, therapy and eye exercises will probably be called for, especially for the most common form of strabismus: amblyopia, referred to as lazy eye. For this condition, you will want to get an eye patch to put over the stronger eye. This forces the lazy eye to work and builds the muscles around the eye. Initially this may be done for weeks or several months until regular vision is restored, and it may need to be continued periodically for years. Also, be sure to get a test done for farsightedness, because if this is what is causing lazy eye then glasses will be prescribed.

  Further therapy mainly involves getting the eye to work more. Try crossword puzzles with small print, video games, and practice following moving objects like a pen held in front of the eye. If your child resists wearing an eye patch--which is a common problem--your doctor can prescribe eye drops that blur vision in the good eye and force the lazy eye to work. Most importantly, keep the therapy up. Children's Hospital Boston reports that without treatment, at some point between the ages of 8 and 12, the loss of vision cannot be reversed. Early detection and therapy is crucial with eye movement disorders.