What is a childhood squint and how common is it?

A squint is an eye condition, where the eyes do not look in the same direction. Whilst one eye looks forwards to focus on an object, the other eye turns either inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. This is known medically as 'strabismus'.

Most squints occur in young children. Squints are common and studies suggest that somewhere between 2 to 3 per cent of children will have a squint. Sometimes when a child has a squint, the sight in the eye which squints may be weaker than the sight in the eye without the squint.

For further information on how a squint can affect your child's sight see How does a squint affect a child's eyesight?

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