[Medical Q&A] Is strabismus surgery safe? Can vision return to normal after surgery?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Liu Wen, deputy chief physician, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University

Strabismus surgery is relatively safe with modern medical technology. The purpose of the surgery is to adjust the position of the extraocular muscles to correct the eye position. The surgical process is usually simple and has low risks. However, any surgery has certain risks. Strabismus surgery may also cause infection, overcorrection or undercorrection, recurrence, etc.

It should be noted that strabismus surgery mainly corrects the eye position to make the eyes look normal, but it cannot directly improve vision. If a child has strabismic amblyopia, whether the vision can return to normal after surgery depends on many factors, including the type and severity of the strabismus, the age at the time of surgery, and the postoperative recovery. For example, for some amblyopia caused by strabismus, strabismus correction surgery in the early stage, combined with appropriate amblyopia treatment, such as occlusion therapy, optical correction, etc., may improve vision; for some congenital strabismus, if it can be corrected surgically in time and subsequent vision training and treatment are carried out, the vision may also be improved to a certain extent.