by Paisley Place

Created on: May 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 03, 2007

Video games are often portrayed as the unnecessary evil; however video game play can make a world of difference and enhance recovery of gross and fine motor skills as well as visual enhancement for a certain sector of children. The children who benefit from video game play are children who are born with conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia.

Strabismus and amblyopia are birth defects normally discovered after birth. Strabismus is the result of eye muscles on the outer globe of the eyes being too lax and the inner eye muscles being too taut. Amblyopia works in the opposite. The eye muscles of children with amblyopia have muscles too taut on the outer globe of the eyes and too lax on the inner globe area. Many infants do outgrow the problem where the eyes straighten without any intervention. The infants that do not outgrow the problems within the first month or two following birth should have a referral from the pediatrician to seek treatment from a pediatric ophthalmologic muscle specialist. This specialist will perform numerous visual tests. Treatment will normally include patching the eyes involved. With one eye involvement, the specialist will patch the good eye, which forces the problem eye to work harder. If the problem exists in both eyes, then the specialist will alternate patching between the two. In time, it will become apparent if this approach is working or not. In the severe cases, the specialist will make a decision as to whether or not the child will benefit from surgery.

The surgical solution is actually simple. It consists of moving the muscles forward and back depending on which side is overly taut and/or overly lax. The procedure could include shortening the lax muscles and moving the taut muscles to allow the other side to compensate. This is a reasonably simple matter of studying how much to change to ensure the eye or eyes to sit straight versus veered off tilted outward or inward depending on the case. It is important to note that surgery is the first of a long series of steps this child will need to take in the upcoming years. It is also not something that should be taken lightly. In fact, if the parents are not completely comfortable with the decision of surgery it is more than reasonable to obtain a second opinion; however, time after surgery is when the work begins for the child. It is up to the parents to remain vigilant to ensure the best possible recovery.

Many infants born with strabismus and amblyopia that does not clear without

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