Q: If I cross my eyes will I hurt them?

Answer:

Crossing your eyes for only one or two seconds does not cause any harm. When we focus up close, our eyes naturally converge, or move inward slightly. This inward movement allows us to focus clearly and maintain 3-D vision. When you cross your eyes, you are exaggerating this natural movement.

Sometimes people have difficulty using their eyes together, and one eye will turn (drift) in or out. This is a medical problem called strabismus. Often, a child will squint or close the eye that’s drifting. Some people refer to strabismus as a squint. In fact, strabismus is a Greek word meaning “to squint”. Most children or adults with strabismus can have their eyes straightened. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of having the person wear glasses. Other times surgery is needed. In strabismus surgery the muscles that move the eyes are weakened or tightened to make the eyes straight. Once a person’s eyes are straightened, they no longer need to worry about having misaligned eyes, and they can often see better because they are using their eyes together.

If a person’s eye starts to drift when they are a child, they may stop using that eye and can permanently lose vision in it. This serious condition is called amblyopia (lazy eye). There is a very good chance of fixing amblyopia if it is caught early enough. Sometimes glasses are used to treat amblyopia. Another treatment for amblyopia involves patching the good eye, which forces the child to use and develop vision in the lazy eye. You may have seen a child with amblyopia wearing an eye patch. The earlier amblyopia is detected, the easier it is to cure. That’s why your doctor checks your vision starting at age three!

Joan Roberts M.D., Pediatric Ophthalmologist

Activities:

Conduct a survey of your classmates. How many students wear contact lenses? How many students have problems seeing? How many students have had their eyes examined? Make a graph of your findings. Check out today’s Healthy Living section in The Herald-Sun and see if it contains an article about eye care.