Adjustable suture surgery for strabismus
Written on September 27, 2006 – | by Lois (admin)
[From Grace by way of Lois(Admin):]
Hi my name is Grace I am 21 years old and have had vision problems since birth. I have recently heard of a procedure called an adjusable suture. I have been reaserching it but have not found to much info on it. If you have heard anything about this being used adults with Amblyopia. Please contact me if you are aware of any research that is available or studies that I would be able to participate in. Thank you so much for your time!
[Lois’ response:]
Adjustable sutures are not just a simple procedure. This is a technique that is sometimes used in strabismus surgery. Adjustable sutures are widely-used, but are not suitable for all. According to EyeMDLink.com (see link below):
The procedure is probably best suited for an individual who has developed strabismus in adulthood, after previous normal eye alignment. In this case, the individual is known to have fusion potential, i.e, the ability for both eyes to “lock on” to the target simultaneously, resulting in stereovision.
The first step is to find an Ophthalmologist who does adult strabismus surgery. See ‘find eye surgeon’ link in right menu, and call those in your area to see if they do surgery on adults. If the surgeon recommends strabismus (eye muscle) surgery, he/she will know whether adjustable sutures are best for you.
A search in Google for ‘adjustable suture surgery’ brings up numerous links. Here are some you may find helpful:
Adjustable Sutures in Strabismus Surgery from the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Adjustable Suture Technique from Wolfe Eye Clinic
Adjustable Suture Strabismus Surgery from EyeMDLink.com
Photo credit: Adam Ciesielski
5 Responses to “Adjustable suture surgery for strabismus”
By Kasa on Feb 7, 2007 | Reply
I am a 26 year old female that has had strabismus since birth and decided to have it fixed starting in 2005, right after
my 25th birthday. The first surgery went well but a few months after started to slip and my eye started drifting again.
The second surgery went well, but was too tight and never came back to alignment. Both of these were traditional
surgeries. On my third attempt coming up in March ‘06, my opthalmologist suggested adjustable sutures. In my case I
think these will help in correct healing. I do have the ability as its mentioned in the post to have “fusion’ and when
my eyes work together, I can lock on to something, however shortly thereafter one eye will start to drift. However,
they say in the above article (I read the whole thing previously) that it is for adults who develop this in adulthood,
which is not the case for me. I have had this since birth. My opthalmologist is a pediatric opthamologist who also
corrects adults. That might be one place to look, since children are the most likely to have this fixed. Hope this
helps. And remember, if it doesn’t work on the first attempt, don’t give up. Its not uncommon for it to not work the
first time.
By Kasa on Feb 7, 2007 | Reply
My surgery is actually March ‘07. Guess i’m a year behind.
By steve on Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
I had A.S.S. about 25 years ago and one of my eyes has just started to turn back in again. I’m going back in June to have it corrected. This surgery is a snap and I recommend it for anyone with strabismus or any eye misalignment if you can have it done.
By Francesca on Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
Please help..
I had strabismus surgery at boston eye and ear infirmary many years ago.. i just had two more muscle surgeries the last two weeks.. what a mess the doctor created..
i need advise and help..
thank you
Francesca
By maey on Jul 15, 2008 | Reply
Hi Freansesca,
Dont rush into judging the result of the surgery.
2 weeks is not enough time to evaluate the result, as most surgeons tighten the muscles more than needed to overcome furure turn ins or outs. so plesae be patient, I had the same problem after my surgery too, but it got much better later on.
Hope this helps
Good luck