Research has highlighted a significant drop in the number of children who undergo surgery to correct a squint over the last 50 years in England.
Findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology revealed some areas of the country deliver up to five times as many operations to resolve the issue as others.
Analysts noted the differing rates are similar to those recorded for tonsil removal, although a clear reason has not been provided.
Routine hospital data collected for the Oxford area were used as a basis for researchers, with findings showing some 519,089 children under the age of 15 were admitted for corrective squint surgery between 1963 and 2010.
'Of the various explanations for geographical variation, the most important single one may be variation in clinical judgement - by general practitioners in referring patients for surgery,' the study explained.
On top of this, authors suggested a rise in non-surgical alternatives for infants with the condition as another reason why operations in this area had fallen.