surgery has risks. Occasionally a complication will arise from the surgery carried out. Complications can happen right away or days, months, or even years later. The risk for complications is different for each person and depends on how long your child has had the squint, whether they have already had surgery for strabismus previously, how well they heal, whether they have diseases of the eye or other parts of the body, and any medications. The major risks are listed:
- Under/over correction: this might improve with time. It takes at least two months for the results of the operation to become stable. Further treatment (special glasses, botulinum toxin injection, or more surgery) may be necessary. It might not be possible to achieve perfect alignment.
- Scarring: every operation causes scarring. It is usually present over the white portion of the eye and it can fade away with time. Usually, it is not noticeable after some months. In rare cases, or if the eye has had more than one operation, the scarring might be severe and require further surgery.
- Change in eyelid position: this is not very common and it happens more frequently in older patients. Another operation might be needed to correct the lid position.
- Retained suture: this is a late reaction to a stitch, which is not fully reabsorbed and often needs to be removed.
- Change in the focus of the eye: this means that you might need glasses or a change in your present glasses.
Rarer complications such as infection, abnormal thinning of the eye (scleritis), lost muscle, retinal detachment and endophthalmitis may also occur occasionally. - Loss of vision is another rare complication and this can result from an infection or damage to the retina.
- This operation is carried out under general anaesthesia, which carries some risk. Your Anesthetist will discuss these risks with you before the operation.
