Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia is reduced vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood.

Amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye," has many causes. Most often it results from either a misalignment of a child's eyes, such as crossed eyes, or a difference in image quality between the two eyes (one eye focusing better than the other.)

In both cases, one eye becomes stronger, suppressing the image of the other eye. If this condition persists, the weaker eye may becomes useless.

Amblyopia generally develops in young children, before age six. Its symptoms often are noted by parents, caregivers or health-care professionals. If a child squints or completely closes one eye to see, he or she may have amblyopia. Other signs include overall poor visual acuity, eyestrain and headaches.

Signs and Symptoms

• Noticeably favoring one eye
• Tendency to bump into objects on one side
• Symptoms are not always obvious

Detection and Diagnosis

Diagnosis of amblyopia is made with a comprehensive eye examination. Visual acuity and eye teaming can be assessed as early as age 6 months and risk factors identified. Undetected high refractive error is commonly a cause of lazy eye.

Early diagnosis increases the chance for a complete recovery. This is one reason why the American Optometric Association recommends that children have a comprehensive optometric examination by the age of 6 months and again at age 3. Lazy eye will not go away on its own. If not diagnosed until the pre-teen, teen or adult years, treatment takes longer and is often less effective.

Treatment

Glasses may be prescribed to correct errors in focusing. If glasses alone do not improve vision, then patching is necessary.

Amblyopia also may be treated by blurring the vision in the good eye with special eyedrops or lenses to force the child to use the amblyopic eye.

Vision therapy exercises the eyes and helps both eyes work as a team. Vision therapy for someone with amblyopia forces the brain to see through the amblyopic eye, thus restoring vision.

Even after vision has been restored in the weak eye, part-time patching may be required over a period of years to maintain the improvement.