What Is a Squint and How Is It Treated in Adults?

Squint (medical name: strabismus) in adults is not just a cosmetic issue — it can cause double vision, restrict your ability to drive or work, and affect confidence in social settings. The good news is that adult squint is treatable, and the treatment options today are more sophisticated than most patients realise.

What causes squint in adults?

• A childhood squint that was never treated, or partially treated
• Thyroid eye disease
• Cranial nerve palsies (from diabetes, hypertension, stroke, tumours)
• Head trauma with orbital injury
• Post-cataract or post-retinal surgery changes
• Myasthenia gravis and other neuromuscular conditions

Symptoms to watch for

• Double vision — new-onset needs same-day evaluation
• Head tilt or turn to see single
• Difficulty judging distances
• Discomfort or asthenopia after prolonged near work
• Cosmetic misalignment noticed by others

How adult squint is treated

Prism glasses

For small deviations, prisms in your glasses can bring the two images together and eliminate double vision — no surgery needed.

Botox injections

Precise Botox into the over-acting eye muscle can temporarily realign the eye. Useful for recent-onset squint after cranial nerve palsy, or as a diagnostic step before surgery.

Squint surgery

Adjusting the muscle position surgically corrects the misalignment. Modern adjustable-suture techniques allow fine-tuning the result on the same day.

Vision therapy

For specific types of convergence or divergence problems, structured orthoptic exercises help.

Is squint surgery just cosmetic?

No. Even when done for appearance, squint surgery restores binocular alignment, often reduces double vision, expands the useful field of vision, and improves depth perception. In India, it's categorised as functional — insurance covers it in most cases.

Book an adult squint evaluation in Noida

Call +91 97115 11001 to book a squint workup with Dr. Gurkiran Kaur.