The very first surgery for an eye turn was almost 200 years ago. Yet, to this day, eye surgery isn’t predictable. Surgery often has good cosmetic results, making the eye appear straight, but that only solves half the problem. It’s important to know that surgery isn’t the only option when it comes to eye turns. Vision therapy is more successful, less expensive, not invasive and there is no age limit.

In a 2010 article in Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, Dr. John W. Simon shares concern about the troubling trend of repeated surgeries and the recurrence of strabismus (eye turn), which has predictably led surgeons to have low expectations for the results of strabismus surgery. He further states that, “Strabismus is less a problem to be cured than a problem to be controlled, with the minimum number of surgeries.”

While many patients are told they have “perfect vision” in each eye, they still have signs that their vision isn’t working correctly, such as: clumsiness, difficulty riding a bicycle or driving, becoming frustrated with reading, drawing, schoolwork, learning disabilities or delays, poor sports performance and hyperactivity and/or short attention span.

Difficulties with eye turns can often be resolved with a program of optometric vision therapy that trains the brain to move the eyes correctly. Vision therapy is a series of non-invasive exercises integrating the brain and eyes to communicate between each other. By getting to the root of the problem, without surgery, vision therapy is more predictable, causing the eyes to appear straight and work together correctly.

Strasburg Family Eyecare is located at 20 Lancaster Ave., in Strasburg. For more information, call 717-687-8141, email [email protected] or visit StrasburgFamily.com.