How to Use Botox to Treat Strabismus

Long before Botox was used to treat wrinkles cosmetically, it was used to treat strabismus, also know as crossed eyes. Crossed eyes occur when the muscles on one side of the eye are weaker than those on the other side, causing the eyeball to be pulled towards the stronger muscle. Botox works to relax the overactive muscles in order to bring the eye back into proper alignment. The procedure has been done effectively since 1980.

Things You'll Need

• Ophthalmologist

Instructions

1. See an ophthalmologist to get properly diagnosed and create a plan to treat your strabismus. Treatment may include one or more additional therapies other than Botox therapy, including surgery, eye exercises or wearing eyeglasses with prisms. Only a proper examination can determine the best treatment for you.

2. Receive a topical anesthetic in the form of eye drops before the procedure. Surgeons use a topical anesthetic to ease the discomfort of having the eyelid retracted and the injection. All of the discomfort may not be removed, however.

3. Get hooked up to an electomyogram (EMG). Ophthalmologists usually use EMGs to locate the proper position for the injection at what is know as the myoneural junction. When the surgeon locates the right spot, there will be an audible signal from the EMG machine.

4. Get Botox injections into the eye muscle that is overactive or overcompensating for a weaker muscle. A very small dosage is usually used for this procedure.

5. Look for results after 1 to 4 days. While some may see an improvement in eye alignment immediately, others may not see results for several days.

6. Expect to have the procedure repeated every 3 months or so. The effects of Botox therapy are usually only temporary, though a small number of patients are completely cured by the procedure after one or two treatments.

Tips & Warnings

• Botox therapy is safe enough to use on infants and children affected by strabismus and is a good alternative to surgery for youngsters.

• Most insurance companies cover Botox therapy for strabismus, as it is FDA approved for this use.

• If you have already had strabismus surgery, but there was an over- or under-correction, Botox therapy can be used in place of additional surgery.

• Strabismus can be cased by other medical conditions, including a tumor in the eye or brain, diabetes, thyroid disease, a stroke and other disorders. If your strabismus begins in adulthood, it's imperative that you see a doctor immediately to rule out these rare but potentially dangerous causes.