AMBLYOPIA

Amblyopia

Commonly known as “lazy eye,” is a vision development disorder where an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity, even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Causes

Strabismic amblyopia:

The most common cause where the eyes are misaligned. One eye may turn in, out, up or down, while the other eye aims straight ahead.

Refractive amblyopia:

Caused by unequal refractive errors in the two eyes, despite perfect alignment. One eye might be more farsighted or have more astigmatism.

Deprivation amblyopia:

Occurs if there is something that obstructs light from entering and being focused in a young child’s eye, such as a congenital cataract.

Signs and symptoms

One eye that wanders inward or outward.

Eyes that may not appear to work together.

Poor depth perception.

Squinting or shutting an eye.

Head tilting.

Abnormal results from vision screening tests.

Treatments

Corrective eyewear

Glasses or contact lenses correct refractive errors, helping both eyes to focus light correctly onto the retina.

Patching

Covering the stronger eye with a patch to force the weaker eye to work, which helps the part of the brain that manages vision develop more completely.

Atropine eye drops

Sometimes used instead of patching. A drop in the stronger eye temporarily blurs vision so that the child will prefer to use the weaker eye.

Surgery

Rarely is surgery recommended for cases related to cataracts or very severe strabismus.

Bynocs

A modern, non-invasive and innovative digital solution for kids engaging in therapy that helps improve vision and eye coordination.

Importance of early treatment

Early diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia are crucial to prevent lifelong vision problems. Treatment is most effective when started before the age of seven.

Worried about your child’s vision?

If you think your child might have amblyopia or if they haven’t had a recent eye exam, contact our clinic today to schedule an appointment.