Amblyopia, also known as ‘Lazy Eye’ is the loss of vision or indistinct vision of the eye, which otherwise appears quite normal. The condition normally affects one of the eyes at a time and is caused by poor or no transmission of visual images to the brain for the period of this dysfunction or in early childhood.
Common Causes
There are a number of causes for amblyopia. It most often results from the misalignment of the eye due to crossed eye, droopy eyelids, congenital cataracts, difference between the two eyes in terms of the quality of image sent by the brain etc. Whatever the distance cause, it is important to understand that amblyopia itself is a direct outcome of a developmental disorder in the brain and not a physiological dysfunction of the eye.
Signs and Symptoms
Poor vision in one or both the eyes
Closing an eye or squinting while reading or watching television
Tilting the head or using different angles while focussing on an object
In severe cases, there might be difficulty in depth perception
In most cases, children do not complain of poor vision since they easily adapt themselves to the visual quality of the eyes.
Treatment
The maxim, “Prevention is better than cure” still holds. Parents should regularly take their kids for eye check-up even before they are 2 years old. Once the child has been diagnosed with amblyopia, the treatment depends on the underlying problem. Early diagnosis can restore the vision of the affected eye.
Covering or patching of the eye may be required during the whole period of treatment which might range from a few weeks to one year. It is the normal eye which is patched, thus making the affected or ‘lazy eye’ work in order to improve its vision.
