Recently, 20-year-old professional football player Xiao Xiong successfully underwent strabismus correction surgery at Wuhan Purui Eye Hospital. After the operation, Xiao Xiong’s eyes were restored to the straight position, and the visual abnormalities and head compensatory posture that had long troubled him were corrected.
Little Bear, who lives in Qiaokou District, has had the habit of looking at things with his head tilted since he was a child. As he grew older, this habit was alleviated, so his family did not pay attention to it. However, in the past six months, the family has discovered that the upward deviation of Little Bear’s right eye has worsened, and he habitually tilts his head to the left to look at things. This not only seriously affects his appearance, but also causes trouble for his football training and competition. Half a month ago, due to neck discomfort, Little Bear went to the hospital for examination accompanied by his family. The possibility of spinal lesions and surgical torticollis was ruled out. The doctor recommended that he be transferred to a professional eye hospital for treatment.
On December 10, Xiao Xiong went to Wuhan Purui Eye Hospital for treatment. After receiving the consultation, Vice President Lin Shan, the leader of the Department of Optometry and Pediatric Ophthalmology, arranged a detailed examination for him. Through eye movement assessment, prism cover test and homotopic examination, Xiao Xiong was finally diagnosed with paralytic strabismus caused by paralysis of the trochlear nerve in his right eye.
“This is a strabismus caused by neuromuscular paralysis. The trochlear nerve and the oculomotor nerve travel together, enter the orbit through the superior orbital fissure, and innervate the superior oblique muscle.” Vice President Lin Shan explained, “When the trochlear nerve is paralyzed, the superior oblique muscle function is insufficient, and its antagonist muscle is inferior. Hyperfunction of the muscle (the inferior oblique muscle is mainly responsible for external rotation, upward rotation, and external rotation of the eyeball) will lead to abnormal rotation and vertical position deviation of the affected eye. At this time, the patient often tilts the head to compensate for the visual deviation, which is medically called “compensated head position.”
Dean Lin Shan pointed out that this type of strabismus is different from common common strabismus. The condition is more complicated and is often accompanied by problems such as diplopia, abnormal head position, and loss of stereoscopic vision. Without timely intervention, it will not only damage the appearance and mental state, but also significantly reduce the quality of life. Especially for drivers, designers, athletes and other professional groups that have high requirements for visual quality, the integrity of binocular vision is crucial.
In response to Xiao Xiong’s professional needs, Vice President Lin Shan customized a personalized surgical plan for him after analyzing his examination data: performing inferior oblique muscle retraction surgery on his right eye. This surgery subtly weakens the function of the inferior oblique muscle, allowing the eyeball to regain vertical dynamic balance. On December 12, after a comprehensive assessment of Xiao Xiong’s eye and body condition, Vice President Lin Shan’s team successfully performed inferior oblique muscle retraction surgery on his right eye.
Although strabismus mostly occurs in children and adolescents, and 3 to 6 years old is considered the golden treatment period, Strabismus in adults cannot be ignored either.“Many adults have suffered from abnormal appearance, psychological stress and even functional visual impairment for a long time because they were not diagnosed and treated in childhood. They mistakenly believe that ‘it cannot be cured if it is missed by age’, which is actually a cognitive misunderstanding.” Vice President Lin Shan emphasized that with the advancement of medical technology, the current strabismus correction technology has become highly mature. Regardless of common or paralytic strabismus, personalized surgical plans can be used to correct eye position, improve appearance, and reconstruct or improve binocular vision function for some patients.
Vice President Lin Shan reminded: If children or adults are found to have symptoms such as tilted heads, photophobia, squinting, fatigue when reading, and inaccurate movement positioning, they must see a professional ophthalmology institution as soon as possible for early detection, early diagnosis, and early intervention.
