Amblyopia

What Is Amblyopia?

Amlyopia also known as lazy eye refers to a condition where one or both eyes has reduced vision due to high power or eye alignment issues and the vision does not improve to normal levels even with optimal correction. It is usually a concern at children and younger ages, and additional treatments are required to improve the visual potentials.

Early treatment is important — waiting or not getting a proper diagnosis could lead to permanent vision loss later in life.

What Happens In Amblyopia?

From birth until about age 8, a child's eyes and brain form vital connections. Anything that blocks or blurs vision in one or both eyes can slow down or prevent these connections. If that happens, the brain might not fully recognize the images seen by one or both eyes. The brain then begins to ignore the images seen by the otherwise healthy eye, and the eye becomes weaker, losing vision strength (acuity). This eye is then referred to as 'Amblyopic'.

Amblyopia Treatment:

Is done with glasses, eye patches, vision therapy, eye drops, surgery, or a combination of these:

• Glasses. Glasses are prescribed when Amblyopia is caused by severe refractive errors and/or Anisometropia (when one eye sees more clearly than the other). Glasses help send clear, focused images to the brain, which teach it to "switch on" the weaker eye. This allows the brain to use the eyes together and develop normal vision.
• Eye Patches. In many cases, kids with Amblyopia must wear an eye patch over the stronger or unaffected eye. The patch is worn for 2–6 hours a day while the child is awake, for several months or years, depending on the condition.
• Vision therapy: There are various modes of eye exercises includng computerized, Dichoptic and virtual reality game based exercises that can improve vision and binocular coordination.
• Atropine Drops. Atropine drops will temporarily blur out the vision in the strong eye, forcing the brain to recognize the images seen by the weaker eye.
• Surgery. If Strabismus is causing Amblyopia and treatment with glasses, patches, or drops doesn't improve the alignment of the eyes, eye muscle surgery might be an option. Surgery also might be done if Amblyopia is caused by a droopy eyelid or a cataract.