Strabismus in Film Characters Negatively Impacts Children Viewers, Study Finds

Crossed eyes or misaligned eyes, a condition called strabismus, have been known to negatively impact children’s self-confidence. A new study, “Depictions of Strabismus in Children’s Animated Films,” published in the December 2024 Pediatrics (published online Nov. 11) examined 125 animated children’s films from a variety of studios and found that characters with strabismus were “overwhelmingly” more likely to be portrayed as negative characters or villains, with characteristics such as a lack of intelligence. Data showed that the 46 characters portrayed with strabismus were 14 times more likely to be depicted as unintelligent. Nearly 60% of those characters didn’t speak or were mute, such as Ed the hyena from “The Lion King” or Heihei the chicken from “Moana,” with many being given other physical deformities alongside the strabismus. Authors cite the AAP policy statement on “Children, Adolescents, and the Media,” which recognizes the possible harmful impact of negative media portrayals. To combat the stigma faced by children with strabismus, authors encourage pediatricians and ophthalmologists to challenge animation studios to reconsider how they portray strabismus to their young audiences.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.