Treating Crossed Eyes | Elliot McKee, MD, on Charlotte Today

CEENTA ophthalmologist and strabismus specialist Elliot McKee, MD, appeared on WCNC's Charlotte Today on June 14th, 2022 to discuss crossed eyes in children. Learn more about this condition and schedule your next appointment with Dr. McKee at our SouthPark, Belmont, and Statesville offices today.

Transcript of the Interview:

Eugene Robinson: Well, this morning we're talking eye health and something few people may think about until it impacts them, their kids or their everyday life. Well, Dr. Elliott McKee is a pediatric ophthalmologist with CEENTA SouthPark, Belmont and Statesville office, and he's here to explain why it's so important. Hello. How are you doing today, sir?

Dr. Elliot McKee: Doing great, Eugene. Thanks for having me.

Eugene: Well, let's talk about the biggest impact that we're talking about that eye alignment has on a person.

Dr. McKee: Well, when you're talking with someone, you need both eyes looking at the person you're talking with. So when someone has a problem with eye misalignment, it impacts their communication. But even more important, it can impact their eye health. Children who have an eye misalignment can end up developing poor vision in one of their eyes. And adults who have eye misalignment can even have double vision, which interferes with driving and watching TV and doing the things you need to do.

Eugene: There's an actual name for this. What is it?

Dr. McKee: The medical term is strabismus, but sometimes we call it a lazy eye, a drifting eye, or crossed eyes.

Eugene: So, what causes this misalignment?

Dr. McKee: There's all sorts of things that can cause it, but mostly it's due to a problem with the way the brain and the eyes work together to give you good vision.

Eugene: So, what's happening? Why is it not aligning correctly?

Dr. McKee: Well, it sometimes means that there's a weak muscle, sometimes it's a result of an injury. Sometimes different medical conditions, like thyroid conditions, can cause eye movement problems. There's all sorts of different causes, and so it's important to get it checked out with your doctor.

Eugene: So, what kind of treatments can we do to go ahead to save this off?

Dr. McKee: Well, there are several different treatments depending on what kind of problem the person is having. First, we want to make sure that the patient has good glasses and good vision. There may be a need to do evaluation for other medical problems or other imaging tests. And a full eye exam is what really helps.

Eugene: So, is this something we should catch early?

Dr. McKee: It's definitely better to catch it early, especially in a child.

Eugene: So how long do the treatments take?

Dr. McKee: Well, the treatment depends on what the causes are, of course, but for children, they may need to wear glasses for some time, maybe wear an eye patch, sometimes do exercises, and occasionally have surgery.

Eugene: Well, Doc, little kids can't sit still for a long time. So how do you handle that?

Dr. McKee: We can understand that. We know that it's hard for children to sometimes communicate, sit still, and cooperate with the exam. We are specialists in pediatric eye conditions. We have good ways of helping them cooperate, making it fun. We've got toys and lights, and I get often asked the question, “How do you check a kid for glasses when they can't even talk?” Don't worry about that. We know how to do that. I can tell exactly what a child's prescription is without them saying a word.

Eugene: Where can we get more information?

Dr. McKee: Our website: ceenta.com.

Eugene: Alright, We put all this information on our website once again. Thank you for being here, sir. Thank you. Eugene.