Benin-based optometrist, Dr Ovie Atunusha, has advised parents to take their children for regular eye checkups in order to avoid strabismus, a condition that leads to misalignment of eye movement.
Atunusha, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday, in Benin, described the condition as occurring when one eye is turned in a direction that is different from the other eye.
According to him, the condition can be caused by problems with the eye muscles, the nerves that transmit information to the muscles, or the control center in the brain that directs eye movements, even though it could also develop due to other general health conditions or eye injuries.
“Under normal conditions, the six muscles that control eye movement work together and point both eyes at the same direction.
“Patients with strabismus have problems with the control of eye movement and cannot keep normal ocular alignment (eye position).
“There are several forms of strabismus. The two most common are Accommodative esotropia and infantile esotropia.
“Adults can also experience strabismus. Most commonly, ocular misalignment in adults is due to stroke, but it can also occur from physical trauma or from a childhood strabismus that was not previously treated or has recurred or progressed”, he said.
He advised parents to always take their children for regular eye checks in order to detect the condition on time. (NAN)
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