I've lived with strabismus over 15 years. Also called crossed eyes, lazy eye, turned eye, squint, double vision, wall eyes, floating, wandering, wayward, or drifting eyes. Strabismus has never been a handicap but rather a challenge for me. I’ve always found alternative ways to do the difficult things, and I’ve enjoyed many silver and golden linings. Strabismus not only affects vision. Many suffer social embarrassment, lost job opportunities, and a host of other problems. Yet, living with eyes apart forces us to adapt, meet the challenge, and become stronger. I just feel that the strabismus is such a turn-off to people that I would never have any luck, getting job, etc, as sad as that may sound. However, I don’t really even blame people for looking at me strangely – I even think it looks bad! I only remember meeting one other person in my life with strabismus like mine, and honestly it’s hard NOT to look at their eye when you meet them – it just stands out so clearly.
I had eye muscle surgery in 23rd October 2006… Exactly 6 years back at Chaithanya Eye Hospital & Research Centre. My surgeon is highly recommended Dr. Abraham Kurian. A great personality with a nice friendly approach and describing everything even the smallest thing about surgery again and again. He made me aware of my eye’s current situation and had given a clear view about my surgery what can we clear through this and what not. Surgery went nice, my first surgery experience through local anesthesia… The whole time during surgery I was talking with my surgeon so I never felt like I’m going through a surgery, He didn't make me feel so. And today I’m celebrating the 6th anniversary of my surgery, lateral rectus recession. My eyes had been drifting a lot more prior to the surgery, and had become increasingly unstable and uncomfortable. It was difficult to hold a focus to read. My eyes are much more comfortable since the surgery, less tension, and I get a lot less headaches now. My eyes don’t drift as spastically as before surgery.
Exactly two weeks after the surgery, I went to class and the redness was almost gone and I could look my classmates straight into their eyes for the first time in my life and they did not look away or past me. What a feeling!.
My surgeon had told me at my one month checkup that I would likely need medial rectus resection in the fall. But when I went back after a month, he didn’t seem to think that would help and made prism glasses instead. The prism glasses didn’t help either. Things were much distorted with them, and I saw two images of everything. I’ve since gotten old biconcave glasses from my local optometrist, and I could see out of them much better. I had to hold things very close to my face to read with them, and can’t read for a long time like I’d hoped. I remembered my doctor’s words…. ‘Give intervals when you are reading….. Don’t give much tension to your eye muscles’….. It was really hard for me since that is not my habit but am tried to adjust to them….
A Few words to my readers not to my readers but those who is having Strabismus is don’t get worry about your decease just do corrective surgery as fast as you can… Time can influence your vision cell’s growth, the fast you do the greater will be the result. You just need to find out a specialist who is capable of understanding your worries and anxities .Surgery won’t be panic or painful. You will need to take one or two different drops three times a day for about a month after the surgery. One suggestion. Turn off the lights above you when you put your drops in. Yes, the white parts of the eyes are scary red for the first few days, and then quickly improve. Indoors, you can probably wear regular sun glasses. There no eye patching in case you wondered.
The only way to approach Strabismus surgery is to take it for better or for worse. If it is better, as it seems to be for many, that will be wonderful. But if it is worse, be prepared to accept the challenge and continue onward. Life is a lot more than what I see. It is who I am and who God is teaching me to be. Life is exciting, it is bigger than strabismus, and great to be part of it, so let’s roll!
Right Now going to blow off candles then cutting a cake to celebrate my 6th EYEniversary….!!!!
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