Many people believe that their misaligned eyes are a cosmetic issue and that they are being vain for even asking about it. Patients, family members, and friends should understand that there is only one normal position for the eyes and that's to have both eyes looking in the same direction at once. Anything else is a medical disorder that can and should be treated. You communicate with people in part by looking them in the eye. If you aren't able to look someone in the eye when you talk, that makes it harder to engage attention. Patients have told me how people think they aren't telling the truth because they won't make eye contact. When your communication skills are affected in this way, so is your self-confidence and in many cases, so is your job performance. You may be less inclined to introduce yourself to a stranger just to avoid having to worry about their reaction to your eye condition. In addition to hindering eye contact, strabismus causes problems with eye function. As I said earlier, some adults develop terrible double vision. Others may have trouble driving because depth perception and side vision are affected. There is no doubt that the treatment of strabismus is considered a reconstructive, not cosmetic, medical intervention.