Amblyopia and Your Child's Eyes
Amblyopia -- or lazy eye -- is a condition that occurs in children when some underlying cause prevents vision from developing properly in one eye. If amblyopia is left untreated, a child's vision will never fully develop correctly in that eye. Vision impairment becomes permanent because as the child’s brain matures, it will "ignore" the image coming from the poorly seeing eye. Because amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss in one eye, it is important to have a child with amblyopia regularly tested by an eye doctor.
What Causes Amblyopia?
Amblyopia usually starts when one eye has much better focus than the other eye. For example, one eye might be very nearsighted or have a lot of astigmatism, while the other does not. When the child's brain is confronted with both a blurry image and a clear image, it will begin to ignore the blurry image. If this goes on for months or years, the vision in the eye that sees the blurry image will deteriorate.
Another cause of amblyopia is strabismus. Strabismus is an ocular misalignment, meaning that one eye turns inward or outward. This prevents the eyes from focusing together on an image and can cause double vision. In order to combat this, the child's brain generally chooses to ignore the image from the deviated eye, causing the vision in that eye to deteriorate. Because one of the eyes is misaligned, some people refer to this as a "lazy eye."
Other children cannot see well in one eye because something blocks light from getting through. This could be due, among other causes, to a cataract or a small amount of blood or other material in the back of the eye.
How Is Amblyopia Diagnosed?
All children should be screened before they are school age. Your child's doctor or the vision program at school will check three aspects of your child's eye health:
- That your child's eyes let light all the way through
- That both eyes see equally well
- That the eyes are moving normally
If there's a problem in any of those three areas, the doctor or school nurse may recommend a visit to an eye specialist. If you feel that something could be wrong with your child's vision, call your doctor even if he or she has been screened at school.
Family history of amblyopia is a risk factor for the disorder. Parents cannot tell just by looking at their child if they have amblyopia. Early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to the best visual outcome.
How Is Amblyopia Treated?
The most common treatment for amblyopia is to force the brain to start using the "bad" eye. This is done by first correcting any underlying problems in that eye and then by putting a patch over the "good" eye. At first, the child will have a hard time seeing with just the weaker eye. However, it is very important that your child wear the patch diligently because this will eventually improve vision. It can take weeks or months for an eye patch to improve vision. It's important to follow your doctor's instructions carefully and that your child is monitored closely during treatment.
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