There are risks associated with any kind of surgery. If you or your child are having surgery for a squint, ask your ophthalmologist (eye care specialist) to discuss the possible risks with you before the operation.
The risks of eye surgery are listed below.
- Further surgery is sometimes needed to correct the squint, particularly if it is a severe squint.
- The eye may remain red for a long time after the operation. This is rare, but it may be due to scar tissue forming on the surface of the eye.
- Double vision may occur after the operation. This usually resolves itself after a week or so.
- The squint may reoccur and another operation may be needed.
- One of the eye muscles may slip after the operation, although this is very rare. This makes the eye point inwards or outwards (depending on which muscle has slipped) and can impair eye movement. It may need to be operated on again.
- In very rare cases, the inside of the eye can be damaged during surgery.
- An infection may develop after the operation. This is possible with any type of surgery and in the case of eye surgery, eye drops or ointment can be used to reduce the risk.
One study that looked at squint surgery for adults estimated that around one in five people may need more than one operation to treat their squint successfully. Double vision occurred in fewer than 1 in 100 cases. This usually either improves with time, or it can be treated, for example, with further surgery.
In children, it is more common to need another operation to correct the squint, particularly if the first operation was carried out when the child was very young. Some studies have found that around 6 out of 10 children who have squint surgery at about one year of age need to have another operation at some point.
Other complications in children are usually rare, but you should ask your ophthalmologist for more information.
