Post Surgery for Esotropia Strabismus

Sometimes all it takes to fix eyes are wearing the glasses to train the muscles slowly outwards. Other times there is NO amount of muscle strengthening / training that will fix it. BUT with the surgery the vast majority will be taken care of and THEN the muscles can be trained once they've been tightened/loosened to get things "close".

Think of it like breaking a bone at a 90 degree angle. Sometimes it can just be set, sometimes it required surgery to set correctly. Even with the surgery there is recovery time in the cast... and once it's removed... there's still physical therapy. We can't put a cast on eyes to hold them where they need to be... but the glasses are the next best thing. Combo of cast + physical therapy.

Hi Beth,

My son had surgery for this two weeks ago today. This is his second surgery. The first one was performed three years ago. He didn't have any issues with the first surgery but with this second one, one of his eyes seemed to be "tightened" too much and was pulling inward. I have had him back to the doctor twice since and he continues to strengthen his eyes and is almost normal at this point. He wears an occluder on one eye one day, and switches to the other eye the next. It helps strengthen each of his eyes. I do believe that this has been very helpful. Don't get discouraged. I know it is disheartening, after the slight trauma of surgery and then to have it not go the way you had expected. Hang in there mama...our doctor told us it can take up to three months for the eyes to strengthen enough to look straight on.

Good luck...keep us posted!

C.

While I do not know what exactly is involved in this surgery, I do know that for most surgeries, the full effects are not evident at 1 week post. Give it some time Also give yourself some time - You have been stressed, you were the 'rock' and it sounds as if you have not had a lot of support - try to understand that sometimes we can keep it together during the crisis, but afterwards we fall apart. if you feel like crying, let yourself cry. If you are really concerned, talk with the doctor's nurse, or the doctor him/herself. Remember that you did this for the best possible reasons - your daughter! - and give yourself and the surgery some time.