A squint describes a condition when the eyes do not stand in a parallel manner and therefore cannot focus the same spot. It mainly results from poor control of the eye muscles, but could also be due to unilateral poor eyesight. A visit to an oculist is important in order to improve vision.
A squint, which is also called strabismus, is a condition when the visual axes deviate from a parallel position. Therefore affected persons are unable to focus one spot with both eyes at the same time. The causes include various dysfunctions in the coordination of the eye muscles and unilateral poor eyesight.
The causes of a squint include: 1) damage or problems of the eye muscles, 2) damage or problems of the nerves which control the eye muscles, or 3) damage to an area of the brain which integrates the information to coordinate eye movement, caused, for example, by a stroke. 4) Poor sight on one eye that prevents the brain from getting an optical feedback about the actual position of the eye. In addition, a squint can also develop due to a congenital problem or general health conditions. People with a family history of a squint, refractive error such as farsightedness, and medical conditions such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, stroke and head injuries, may have a higher risk of developing a squint. A squint can be classified on basis of direction into four types: 1) inward turning: esotropia, 2) outward turning: exotropia, 3) upward turning: hypertropia, and 4) downward turning: hypotropia. Quite recently affected persons often suffer from double vision. After a while living with a squint, the patient’s brain will suppress the information of the affected eye and therefore the affected person will barely notice anything. For children between 1 and 3 years of age, a squint is actually a dangerous condition. In this timeframe the visual area matures and a squint could lead to an irreversible and lifelong suppression of one eye (amblyopia).
The treatment of a squint can include: 1) Contact lenses and eyeglasses: it can help to adjust the vision for people with near- and farsightedness. 2) Prism lenses: it can adjust the angle of light entering the eyes and enables binocular vision despite squint. 3) Eye muscle surgery: it can correct the position or length of the eye muscles. 4) Covering the healthy eye of a child. This will force the brain to use the squinting eye and therefore prevent loss of eyesight (amblyopia).
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
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