A squint is when the two eyes don't point in the same direction at the same time. It can appear in infancy, show up only when a child is tired, or develop later in adults after an illness or injury. Caught early in children, most squints respond very well to treatment — and in many cases, without surgery.
Squints are described by the direction the eye drifts. The type, the angle and the cause all shape the treatment plan.
One or both eyes turn towards the nose.
The most common childhood squint; often linked to long-sightedness.One or both eyes drift outward, often more when tired or daydreaming.
May be intermittent at first and become more constant over time.One eye sits higher or lower than the other.
Can cause a head tilt as the child compensates.New misalignment after illness, thyroid eye disease, stroke or injury.
Usually causes double vision and needs prompt assessment.A large number of squints are managed without an operation, especially in young children.
Glasses to correct the refractive error driving the squint
Patching (occlusion) therapy to treat a lazy eye (amblyopia)
Prism lenses to merge double vision in select adult cases
Eye-muscle exercises for certain convergence problems
Surgery when the angle is large, constant, or not improving with the above
Vision test, glasses check, and measurement of the squint angle in different directions of gaze.
Understand whether glasses, patching or surgery is the right starting point, and what to expect.
Usually day-care, roughly 45–60 minutes per eye, under general anaesthesia for children.
A next-day review, redness settling over 2–3 weeks, and a follow-up plan to check alignment holds.
A young brain can learn to "switch off" a misaligned eye, which is how lazy eye (amblyopia) develops. The earlier this is caught, the easier it is to reverse — vision in a lazy eye is much harder to recover once a child is older.
One eye appears to drift in photos, especially when tired
A child tilts or turns their head to look at things
Closing or covering one eye in bright light
Poor depth perception — clumsiness, missing objects when reaching
Any squint noticed after 4 months of age needs assessment
Final cost depends on whether one or both eyes are treated, how many muscles are involved, and whether it's a first surgery or a re-operation. Our care team explains each factor before you decide.
Some intermittent squints in very young infants settle on their own, but a squint that persists past 4 months, or appears later, needs assessment — it will not reliably resolve by itself.
It's done under anaesthesia, so there's no pain during surgery. Expect mild soreness, redness and watering for a week or two afterwards.
Yes. Adult-onset squints, and squints carried over from childhood, can both be corrected — often improving double vision and depth perception.
It straightens the eyes; it does not itself sharpen blurred vision. Glasses or amblyopia treatment are managed alongside it where needed.
Most results are stable, but a small proportion of patients need a follow-up adjustment or second procedure, particularly with larger angles.
Gentle, thoughtful care for developing eyes.
Full-thickness, lamellar and laser-assisted grafts.
OCT, fundus imaging and topography for informed care.