What is a Squint (Bhengapan)?
A squint is when the two eyes do not point in the same direction. One eye may turn inward, outward, upward or downward while the other looks straight ahead. In Hindi it is known as bhengapan (भेंगापन) or tirchhi aankh (तिरछी आँख); the medical term is strabismus.
It may be present all the time, or appear only when a child is tired, unwell or concentrating hard. It can begin in infancy, in childhood, or for the first time in adult life.
A squint is not a cosmetic problem
In a growing child, the brain begins to ignore the image coming from the misaligned eye rather than see double. The eye stays healthy, but the vision pathway to it stops developing. Left untreated past a certain age, that sight is lost permanently.
Why Early Treatment Matters in Children
When the eyes point in different directions the brain receives two different pictures. To avoid double vision it simply switches one off. This is amblyopia, commonly called a lazy eye.
The younger the child when treatment begins, the more of that vision can be recovered. Beyond a certain age the loss becomes fixed, and no spectacles or surgery afterwards will bring it back. This is why "he will grow out of it" is the advice that costs children their sight.
- Drifting eye: one eye turns inward, outward, up or down, even occasionally
- Head posture: tilting or turning the head to one side to look at something
- Closing one eye: especially in bright sunlight
- Depth perception: bumping into things, missing when catching a ball
- Double vision: or letters running together while reading
- Sitting close: to the television, or holding books near the face
How Squint is Treated
Treatment depends on the cause, the type of squint and the age of the patient. Most children need a combination rather than a single measure.
Spectacles
Many squints are caused or worsened by an uncorrected refractive error, particularly long sight. In some children, the right glasses straighten the eyes on their own and nothing further is needed.
Patching and Exercises
Where the weaker eye has begun to lose vision, patching the stronger eye forces the weaker one to work so the pathway develops. Orthoptic exercises train the two eyes to work together.
Squint Surgery
Where glasses and patching are not enough, surgery adjusts the tension of the small muscles that move the eye so the two line up. The eye is not removed. Anaesthesia is chosen to suit the patient's age.
Squint in Adults
Adults are routinely told that a squint they have had since childhood cannot be fixed. That is not correct. Surgery can straighten the eyes in an adult, and where a squint has appeared later in life and brought double vision with it, treatment can relieve that double vision.
Sight in an eye that has been neglected for decades may not return. The alignment can - and for many adults that changes how they are treated at work, in interviews and in public.
A squint that appears suddenly in an adult needs urgent assessment
A new squint or new double vision in adulthood can signal a problem beyond the eye itself. It should be examined promptly rather than watched.
Free Under Ayushman Bharat
Squint correction is among the ophthalmology procedures covered under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY). Bring your Aadhaar, your ration card, and your Ayushman card if you have one - our team checks eligibility before anything is scheduled, so you know where you stand before you commit to a date.
We see children and adults from across Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Mirzapur, Kaushambi and Pratapgarh - from the city out to Meja, Karchana, Koraon, Handia and the villages. If you have noticed one eye drifting in a child, bring them for an examination rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about squint in children and adults