When you think of someone receiving Botox® injections, it’s likely you imagine they’re looking to enhance a youthful, wrinkle-free appearance. While getting Botox is an excellent choice for reducing the appearance of many kinds of wrinkles, it’s also an effective treatment for a number of medical conditions.
If you have an eye muscle disorder, like strabismus or blepharospasm, Botox is a non-invasive and non-surgical way to treat your symptoms. Board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Raymund J. Llaurado, MD offers Botox treatment to bring relief to people with conditions that impact the eye muscles at his offices in Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria, California.
Discover more about strabismus and blepharospasm, and how Botox injections can bring relief to these conditions.
What is strabismus?
Strabismus occurs when your eyes aren’t correctly aligned because your eye muscles don’t properly work together. For example, while one eye looks straight ahead, your other eye might look in another direction, like to the side, down, or up.
Having untreated strabismus negatively impacts your vision. It’s common to experience problems with depth perception, double vision, and blurry vision as a result of your eyes being misaligned.
Symptoms of strabismus, which can occur consistently or come and go, include:
The feeling of weakness or a pulling sensation around one or both eyes. Having to turn your head to the side regularly to see clearly. Experiencing vision problems, including blurry vision, double vision, and reduced depth perception.
What is blepharospasm?
Blepharospasm is a condition where your eyes blink or spasm uncontrollably. It’s caused by the basal ganglia, or the muscles that control your eyelid movements, not working properly.
The most common symptoms of blepharospasm include:
Frequent and uncontrollable blinking of the eyelids Eye irritation Feelings of fatigue or light sensitivity Improvement of symptoms during sleeping or focused concentration.
How Botox treats strabismus
Botox is a safe, effective, and convenient method for treating strabismus that does not involve having to undergo surgery around your eyes. To treat your strabismus, Dr. Llaurado injects botulinum toxin type A to paralyze the muscles controlling your eye alignment. This causes a relaxing effect that allows your eyes to move normally.
The effects of Botox start to work on your eye movement muscles within 48 hours and achieve maximum results within two weeks. The effects last a minimum of three months, with results often lasting longer with each subsequent Botox treatment.
Treating blepharospasm with Botox
Botox is considered a highly effective, premier treatment for stopping the effects of blepharospasm. After Dr. Llaurado performs the injection in your eyelid muscles, they relax, causing your involuntary blinking to stop.
Like Botox treatment for strabismus, you’ll get full results within two weeks of the injection, which lasts a minimum of three months.
If you have strabismus, blepharospasm, or another condition that impacts your eye or facial muscles, Botox injections could give you the life-changing solution you need in a quick visit that easily fits into your life. For more information and to schedule a consultation with Dr. Llaurado in Arroyo Grande or Santa Maria, book online or over the phone.