Eye health
Eye Health
Strabismus, commonly known as a squint, is a condition in which the eyes are misaligned, either turning inward or outward. Dr Vijay Tailor-Hamblin is helping to improve the diagnosis of young people with this eye disorder.
Eye misalignment caused by strabismus can reduce vision and impair depth perception. This condition affects up to 5% of the population. Intermittent exotropia, a form in which one or both eyes occasionally turn outward, occurs in 1-2% of children.
Current treatments for these conditions are often unpredictable because the existing classification system for symptoms is incomplete, omitting traits like double vision. As a result, treatments vary in effectiveness among patients.
Dr Vijay Tailor-Hamblin and the team at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust aim to refine the classification of intermittent exotropia. Their approach considers sensory changes, as well as the timing and extent of eye misalignment. Using data from Moorfields Eye Hospital, they will conduct advanced eye tests and behavioural assessments on 100 children, aged 5-16 years. The team will identify various subtypes of the condition, and in turn, create a more accurate classification system to support tailored treatments. This could lead to better patient outcomes, including improved vision training and more effective surgeries.