Strabismus is a misalignment in the eye in which the direction of the eye is different from each other when looking at an object. People who are susceptible to having poor muscle control are more likely to develop this condition. Crossed eyes can create problems with the vision, like seeing double. Also, while looking at an object or turning the eyes, one eye will remain consistent, but the other eye will go inward, outward, upward, or downward. Although the condition is prevalent among young children, it may occur later in life. There are different types of strabismus:

• Esotropia: Also known as inward-turning in which patients have difficulty when they want to focus their eyes on objects, and the eyes will turn inward. 
• Exotropia: An outward-turning eye occurs when patients are looking at distant objects.

Hypertropia: when people are trying to focus on an object, the eye goes upward. 

The movement of the eye is controlled by six muscles that are connected at the end of the eye. Two of the muscles control the direction of the eye to the left and right, and the remaining four move the eye up and down. In normal vision, both eyes are aligned, which creates a clear picture, but if there is a misalignment, each eye sends a different view to the brain, which causes the loss of depth perception. Strabismus can also be caused by a cataract or eye injury, which can lead to reduced vision. Even in some cases, it may lead to amblyopia, a condition in which the brain cannot decipher the image of the crossed eye and will focus only on the image of the straight eye.

Although strabismus symptoms can happen infrequently, they become worse when the patient is tired or sick. Some of the common symptoms are mentioned below:

• Eyes cannot move together at the same time. 
• In bright sunlight, people tend to squint. 
• To see the object more clearly, patients turn their heads. 

Limited depth perception which causes bumping into objects.

Visiting an optometrist would be the best choice to diagnose the strabismus through a complete eye examination which may include the followings tests:

• Visual Acuity: To assess how muchstrabismus has affected the vision, the doctor will measure the vision acuity by asking patients to read letters that are placed in a far distance on a chart. 
• Refraction: Refraction test measures what kind of lens powers patients need to be able to focus their eye by using an instrument called a phoropter. 
• Alignment testing: An optometrist should realize how accurate the movement of your eye is and how it changes focus. The test detects any problem that patients may have when looking with both eyes.
• Eye health:  In addition to the mentioned tests, the doctor will use various testing to observe the internal and external structure of the eye and to see if there any illnesses that can trigger the development of strabismus. 

There are several treatment options available to fix the eye alignment.

Eyeglasses or contact lenses: For some patients, in order to help with the improvement of the eye position, eyeglasses or contact lenses can be very effective. 

Vision therapy: To improve eye activity, the doctor may suggest some activities to train the eye to become more in alignment with the brain and therefore, would have simultaneous coordination. These exercises help to improve the eye movements and assist in creating an active connection between the brain and the eye. 

Eye muscle surgery: Eye surgery is a useful choice to improve and align the eye and to straighten the position of eye muscles.

As it is known around the world, eye surgery for any treatment is quite expensive which makes patients think if there is an alternative to treat eye disorders with the best health care system and more importantly at a reasonable price. For instance, the cost of Amblyopia in countries like Europe, Turkey, Qatar, and the United States is roughly 100 to 300 percent more expensive than in Iran. Furthermore, some of the Iranian eye surgeons are distinguished graduates from some of the prestigious universities in America and Europe, which attest to the fact that all eye treatments will be performed with absolute high standards.