Strabismus is the medical term to describe that is commonly known as crossed eyes or having cross eyes. The National Institutes of Health describes the condition as the inability of your eyes to work together when you focus. If you have cross eyes, each eye will move in a different direction and look at cross points. Strabismus is more commonly seen in children than adults, according to the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. Crossed eyes can cause you to lose depth perception and may also lead to permanent loss of some vision if the condition is not treated. Treatment includes patching the stronger eye and can include surgery. There is more than one cause of cross eyes. You may be born with the condition or develop it later in life.
Muscle Imbalance
An imbalance of the eye and facial muscles can cause someone to have strabismus. Conditions that are characterized by low muscle tone, like cerebral palsy, stroke and Guillan-Barre syndrome, may all affect the muscles that direct the coordination of your eyes. In some cases, illness or medical conditions affect not only the muscles, but the brain's ability to control the eye's movements. Treatment for strabismus varies, depending on whether the problem is perceived to stem from the muscles or from a brain injury.
Congenital Conditions
The National Institutes of Health reports that most cases of childhood strabismus have unclear origins and that about 50 percent of children who have cross eyes were born with the condition, a situation called congenital strabismus. Other factors that can cause a baby to be born with strabismus are chromosomal defects, such as trisomy 18, a genetic disease called Apert syndrome, which affects the shape of your head and face, and Noonan syndrome, a condition in which several body parts do not develop normally.
Tumors and Scarring
Structural abnormalities in your eye can also lead to crossed eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Scarring damage of the retina, called retinopathy, may cause such an impairment and is not uncommon in premature infants, according to the National Institutes of Health. Malignant tumors and benign growths called hemangiomas that occur near the eyes may also contribute to the lack of coordination that results in strabismus.
