Strabismus can be treated at any age. Occasionally, eye muscle exercises, prism eyeglasses, or botulinum toxin injections can improve certain types of strabismus if the misalignment is slight. Eye muscle exercises may be helpful in treating special problems such as convergence insufficiency, where the eyes are misaligned only for near work such as reading. Glasses with prism are most useful forcorrecting small deviations. Botulinum is a drug that can be injected into the muscle to temporarily paralyze the eye muscle. Its effect lasts afew months and in some cases can improve alignment and appearance.

Often surgery is required. Surgery is done on an outpatient basis and in some cases can be performed with a local anesthetic. Strabismus surgery involves loosening, tightening, or repositioning the muscles to align the eyes. An adjustable suture may be used to fine-tune the end result. Your eye doctor can recommend treatment options.