Squint Correction surgery in Guadalajara

Strabismus is a disorder of binocular vision, which is the stereoscopic vision that allows us to see in three dimensions and judge distances accurately. In people with strabismus, the eyes are unable to maintain proper alignment. 

This means that if you have strabismus, your eyes will look in different directions—one eye focuses on the object, while the other is misaligned. As a result, strabismus leads to a loss of depth perception and 3D vision.

When one eye is directed at an object or person and the other turns inward (causing crossed eyes), this is called esotropia. If the misaligned eye turns outward, it is known as exotropia. If it turns upward, the condition is called hypertropia, and if it turns downward, it's known as hypotropia. This condition can be constant or intermittent, depending on the case.

Strabismus can affect just one eye or both. When it affects only one eye, the same eye is always misaligned, and the other one does the focusing. This is called unilateral or monocular strabismus, and it often leads to amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, because the misaligned eye never fully develops normal visual strength.

In cases of alternating strabismus, the person switches between eyes to focus, while the other eye turns. In this case, the brain suppresses the image from the eye that is turned at the time, but both eyes typically develop equal visual acuity.

When we refer to congenital strabismus, we mean that the condition appears within the first 6 months of life. However, strabismus can also develop later during childhood or even in adulthood.

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Strabismus can be caused by hereditary factors or eye conditions such as congenital cataracts, myopia (nearsightedness), or hyperopia (farsightedness). However, there are many possible causes of strabismus. It’s important to understand that eye alignment is controlled by the brain, so any neurological condition affecting that control may also result in strabismus.

In a person with strabismus, the eyes point in different directions: one eye looks at an object while the other is misaligned. 

These two images are sent to the brain, which has difficulty processing them. In children, the brain may learn to suppress the image from the weaker eye. If this happens repeatedly, the brain gets used to ignoring that input, leading to amblyopia, or "lazy eye".

In adults, however, the brain has already learned to process visual input from both eyes, so it is unable to ignore the image from the weaker eye. As a result, adults with strabismus often experience double vision (diplopia).

Strabismus often develops during childhood and is associated with problems such as the lack of binocular vision, meaning the eyes are not used together at the same time. It can also lead to amblyopia, or "lazy eye." However, strabismus can also appear in adulthood, often resulting in double vision. 

In both children and adults, symptoms may include:

• Crossed eyes, also known as strabismus.
• Double vision (diplopia).
• Poor eye alignment, where the eyes do not look in the same direction.
• Lack of coordination in eye movements, meaning the eyes do not move together.
• Loss of depth perception, making it harder to judge distances.

Strabismus, a condition more common in children, involves a misalignment of the eye axes with the object or person being focused on. If this condition is not treated in time, it can develop into what is commonly known as lazy eye. Amblyopia or lazy eye occurs when the child learns to suppress the image received from the deviated eye, so the brain becomes accustomed to not receiving that image.

On the other hand, strabismus in adults leads to double vision. This is because vision has already developed, and the brain is unable to eliminate the image received from the deviated eye, resulting in double vision.

Among all the treatments available, the condition can be treated with glasses with prisms, patches, muscle exercises, botulinum toxin, etc. However, none of these conventional treatments result in perfect alignment of the eye axes. Surgery, however, becomes the only effective option when none of the other treatments have been successful or when strabismus has not been detected in time.

Typically, in strabismus surgery, general anesthesia is used in children since they cannot cooperate during the surgery, while in adults, eye drops or gel are used.

After scheduling your consultation with the Clínica Oftalvist Guadalajara, the specialist will open a medical record including your personal information, medical history, and prior eye exams to assess your case in greater detail.

If you have had any previous medical tests done, we strongly recommend bringing all relevant reports to your appointment. This will help the specialist provide a more accurate and personalized surgical diagnosis and determine whether surgery is the best option for your case.

If after reviewing your case, the specialist concludes that surgery is the most appropriate solution, the decision to proceed will always be up to you. Should you choose to go ahead, the pre-operative and surgical dates can be scheduled during the same visit.

Once your surgical evaluation has been completed by the team, one of our Patient Service team members will contact you to follow up on your experience, confirm the scheduled dates for your surgery and post-operative care, and provide you with all the necessary information to move forward with the procedure.

Operarme offers you a free surgical assessment consultation with ophthalmology specialists. You can request your appointment by clicking below on the “Request Appointment” button, or by calling our Patient Service number at +34 91 141 33 56.

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Preoperative assessment for squint correction surgery (both eyes)

After the ophthalmology team in the Equipo Oftalvist Guadalajara confirms the need for surgery in your case, a pre-operative assessment is essential to ensure the success of the procedure and help the surgeon develop a precise surgical plan.

Strabismus surgery is a procedure that can be performed under general or topical anesthesia.
In most cases, general anesthesia is used for children to ensure they remain still and do not cooperate during the procedure.

The surgery involves weakening the overactive eye muscles and strengthening the weaker ones to restore proper alignment.

Even if only one eye appears misaligned, surgery may be performed on both eyes, depending on the severity and characteristics of the condition.

Whether general or topical anesthesia (using gel and drops) is used, the surgery is performed on an outpatient basis.

This means that a few hours after the procedure, the patient is usually able to leave the hospital on their own.

Once at the Clínica Oftalvist Guadalajara, you will need to submit all your documentation at the admissions desk.
After that, you will be guided to the surgical area, where you will be given surgical clothing to properly prepare for the procedure.

Once in the operating room, you will meet the surgeon who evaluated your case during the preoperative consultation, along with the anesthesiologist and a member of the nursing staff. You will then be placed on the operating table, and the surgery will begin:

1. First, the anesthesiologist, who examined you during the preoperative stage, will administer the appropriate type of anesthesia for your case.
   
   
2. Once the anesthesia takes effect, the surgeon will make an incision in the conjunctiva and partially separate it to access the muscle being operated on. At this point, the conjunctiva is gently retracted.
   
   
3. Next, the muscle is isolated and clearly exposed by delineating both sides.
   
   
4. The surgeon will suture both ends of the muscle and cut its original insertion, leaving it free.
   
   
5. One end of the muscle is then re-attached near the original insertion site using an adjustable hang-back suture, tailored in millimeters to each case. The same is done for the other end.
   
   
6. At this point, the patient is sat upright briefly to verify proper eye alignment. If necessary, the sutures are adjusted.
   
   
7. The muscle is not in its original position, having been shifted by a few millimeters using the hang-back technique.
   
   
8. The conjunctiva is gently repositioned and sutured back into place, marking the end of the procedure.
   
   

After the surgery, you’ll be moved to a recovery room where you will be monitored by the nursing team as the anesthesia wears off. Since this is an outpatient procedure, you will typically be discharged the same day.

As for the duration of the surgery, there is no fixed time. It depends on how many muscles need to be operated on—for instance, operating on 2 muscles is not the same as operating on 5. However, you can expect each muscle to take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

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As you already know, squint correction surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, so you can return home on the same day as the procedure.

After waking up from anesthesia, you will be moved to the recovery room, where you will stay until all the anesthesia has worn off. In some cases, you may leave the clinic the same day, although depending on the circumstances after the procedure, it may be advisable for you or your child to stay in the hospital for at least one day. 

However, there’s no need to worry. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Operarme’s Patient Service Team.

Instructions from the Equipo Oftalvist Guadalajara

Continuing with the topic at hand, you should know that before leaving the hospital, the surgeon will recommend a series of instructions to follow for your care in the coming days. Some of these instructions will include:

• Avoid contact with the eyes from shampoo, beach water, pool water, etc. You must strictly follow this for the first 15 days, although your doctor will inform you about this.
• Keep the eye drops and ointments well protected. It is also necessary to wash your hands before using them.
• Avoid covering or rubbing your eyes.
  
  

Duration of squint correction surgery

As you know, the ophthalmology specialist performs the squint correction surgery at the Clínica Oftalvist Guadalajara. This procedure involves weakening or strengthening the ocular muscles to realign the eye axes and correct the deviation in strabismic patients.

Squint surgery does not have a fixed duration, as it depends on the number of muscles that need to be treated. Additionally, the surgery can be performed on both eyes, and it is not the same to operate on 2 muscles as it is to operate on 5. However, the estimated time for the procedure on each muscle is approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

The price of squint correction surgery is all-inclusive, meaning it covers everything necessary to perform the surgery with the highest level of safety, also guaranteed by the quality of the hospital and the expertise of the specialist.

The price for surgery with Operarme is 5.490 € for the treatment of both eyes. This cost includes:

• Reservation and use of the operating room.
• 2 Postoperative visits
• Medical fees.
• Anesthetist fees.
• Nursing team fees.
• Necessary surgical materials for the procedure, including an intraocular lens.
• Anesthesia and recovery room reservation.

If you want more information about this surgery or about how Operarme works, feel free to contact us through our contact form, call us at +34 91 141 33 56, or request a free surgical consultation with our Ophthalmology specialists by clicking below: