Squint in Children — When to Worry, and How It’s Treated

Parents often notice it first — one eye seems to drift, especially when a child is tired. It’s a common, natural concern: is this serious, or will it resolve on its own?

What squint (strabismus) actually is

A misalignment where the two eyes don’t point in the same direction at the same time — one may turn inward, outward, upward, or downward relative to the other.

Why early evaluation matters more than “wait and see”

In children, an untreated squint can lead to amblyopia (lazy eye) — where the brain starts to ignore input from the misaligned eye, causing that eye’s vision to weaken permanently if untreated during the critical years of visual development (roughly up to age 7-8).

Some squint is normal in infants — occasional eye drift in the first few months of life is common and often resolves on its own. But persistent squint beyond 4 months of age, or any squint that appears suddenly in an older child, should always be evaluated.

Treatment isn’t always surgery

Options range from glasses, to patching the stronger eye to force the weaker one to develop properly, to surgical correction for certain cases — the right path depends entirely on the type and cause of the squint.

If you’ve noticed your child’s eyes aren’t tracking together, don’t wait for it to “sort itself out” — book a pediatric eye evaluation to know for certain.