The surgery is most commonly done on children, but is also performed on adults with similar problems.

While the child is deep asleep and pain-free (using general anesthesia), a small incision is made on each side of the eyeball in the tissue between the eye and eyelid (conjunctiva). One or more of the muscles of the eye are strengthened (resected) or weakened (recessed) to allow proper position and movement of the eyeball. The child then recovers for a couple hours and then goes home the same day.

The surgery for adults is similar. Adults are usually awake or sleepy, but pain free. Often, in adult surgery an adjustable suture will be used so that minor adjustments can be made later that day or the next day. This technique usually gives a very good result.

• reactions to medications
• problems breathing

• bleeding
• infection

• wound infections
• damage to the eye (rare)

After surgery, the eye will be red for a couple days. The eye alignment is usually immediate.

One important note, the surgery does not fix a lazy or amblyopic eye, so a child may have to wear glasses or continue to patch an eye. In general, the earlier in a child's life the operation is performed, the better the result. The eye should appear normal a few weeks after the surgery.