Lazy eye (amblyopia)

Description

Lazy eye (amblyopia) is reduced vision in one eye caused by abnormal visual development early in life. The weaker-or lazy — eye often wanders inward or outward.

Amblyopia generally develops from birth up to the age of 7 years. It is the main cause of decreased vision among children. Rarely, lazy eye affects both eyes.

Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent long-term problems with your child's vision. The eye of poorer vision can usually be correcteded with glasses or contact lenses, or patches of therapy.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of lazy eye include:

  • An eye that wanders inward or outward
  • Eyes that don't seem to work together
  • Poor depth perception
  • Squinting or closing one eye
  • The tilt of the head
  • Abnormal return tothe results of screening tests of vision

Sometimes the lazy eye is not evident, without an eye exam.

When to see a doctor

Consult your child's doctor if you notice that your eye wandering after the first few weeks of life. A vision of check is especially important if there is a family history of crossed eyes, childhood cataracts or other eye diseases.

For all children, a complete eye exam is recommended between the ages of 3 and 5.

Causes

Lazy eye develops due to abnormal visual experience early in life that changes the nerve pathways between a thin layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye and the brain. The weaker eye receives less visual cues. Finally, the ability of the eyes to work together decreases, and the brain suppresses or ignores input from the weaker eye.

Anything that blurs the vision of a child or causes the eyes to cross or turn can result in lazy eye. The common causes of the disease are:

  • Muscle imbalance (strabismus, amblyopia). The most common cause of lazy eye is an imbalance in the muscles that position the eyes. This imbalance can cause the eyes to cross in or out, and prevents them from working together.
  • Difference in the sharpness of vision between the eyes (amblyopia refractive).A significant difference between the prescriptions in each eye — often because of the farsightedness, but sometimes short-sightedness or an uneven surface of the curve of the eye (astigmatism) — can result in lazy eye. Glasses or contact lenses are typically used to correct these problems of refraction. In some children, the lazy eye is caused by a combination of strabismus and refractive problems.
  • Deprivation. A problem with one of the eyes — as a cloudy area in the lens (cataract) — you can prohibit clear vision in that eye. Deprivation amblyopia in children requires urgent treatment to prevent permanent vision loss. It is often the most serious type of amblyopia.

Difference in the sharpness of vision between the eyes (amblyopia refractive). A significant difference between the prescriptions in each eye — often because of the farsightedness, but sometimes nearsightedness or an uneven surface of the curve of the eye (astigmatism) — can result in lazy eye.

Glasses or contact lenses are typically used to correct these problems of refraction. In some children, the lazy eye is caused by a combination of strabismus and refractive problems.

Risk factors

Factors associated with an increased risk of lazy eye include:

  • Premature birth
  • Small size at birth
  • The family history of lazy eye
  • Developmental disabilities

Complications

Untreated, lazy eye can cause permanent vision loss.

Lazy eye (amblyopia)

Diagnosis

The doctor will perform an eye exam, checking the health of the eyes, one eye wandering, a difference of vision between the eyes or poor vision in both eyes. Eye drops are usually used to dilate the eyes. The eye drops cause blurred vision that lasts several hours or a day.

The method used for the testing of vision depends on your child's age and stage of development:

  • Preverbal children. A lighted magnifying device can be used to detect falls. Other tests may assess a baby's or child's abilityand to fix their gaze and follow a moving object.
  • Children from 3 years of age and older. Tests with images or letters can assess the child's vision. Each eye is covered, its time to test the other.

Treatment

It is important to begin treatment for lazy eye, as soon as possible in the childhood, when the complicated connections between the eye and the brain are forming. The best results occur when the treatment is started before 7 years of age, although half of the children between the ages of 7 and 17 to respond to treatment.

The treatment options depend on the cause of lazy eye and how much the condition is affecting your child's vision. Your doctor might recommend:

  • Corrective lenses. Glasses or contact lenses can correct problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism that result in the lazy eye.
  • Eye patches. To stimulate the weaker eye, your child wears an eye patch over the eye with better vision of two to six or more hours in a day. In rare cases, who wore a patch over the eye is too long can cause amblyopia developed in the patched eye. How toalways is usually reversible.
  • Bangerter filter. This special filter is placed in the eye of the lens of the eye stronger. The filter blurs in the stronger eye, and, as a patch on the eye, works to stimulate the weaker eye.
  • Drops for the eyes. A drop of a drug called atropine (Isopto Atropine) can temporarily blur the vision in the stronger eye. Usually prescribed for use at the end of the week or daily, the use of the drops to encourage your child to use the weaker eye, and offers an alternative to a patch. The side effects include sensitivity to light and eye irritation.
  • Surgery. Your child may need surgery if he or she has a drooping eyelid or a cataract that cause deprivation amblyopia. If your child's eyes continue to cross or walk along aside with withate the glasses, your doctor may recommend surgical repair to straighten the eyes, in addition to other treatment of lazy eye.

Activity-based treatments such as drawing, doing puzzles or playing computer games — are available. The efficacy of the addition of thewill, of the activities to other therapies has not been demonstrated. Research into new treatments underway.

For the majority of children with lazy eye, the appropriate treatment improves the vision in a matter of weeks to months. The treatment can last from six months to two years.

It is important for me tour child to be monitored to detect the recurrence of lazy eye — which can occur in up to 25 percent of children with the condition. If lazy eye is repeated, treatment should begin again.

Preparing for your appointment

Your child's doctor might refer you to a doctor who specializes in the treatment of eye disorders in children (pediatric ophthalmologist).

Here's some information to help you prepare.

What you can do

Make a list of the following:

  • The symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment, and when he noticed your presence
  • All the medications, vitamins and supplements your child takes, including doses
  • Key medical information, including other conditions or allergies your child has
  • The family history of eye problems, such aszy from the eyes, cataracts, or glaucoma
  • Questions to ask your doctor

To the lazy eye, questions to ask your doctor include:

  • What is the likely cause of my child (lazy eye?
  • There is another possible diagnosis?
  • What treatment options are more likely to help my child?
  • How much improvement we can expect from the treatment?
  • Is my child at risk of other complications of this condition?
  • It is this condition likely to recur after treatment?
  • How often should my child be seen for follow-up visits?

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor may ask you questions, such as:

  • Does your child seem to have problems to see?
  • Make your child's eyes seem to cross or walk?
  • Does your child hold the things to see?
  • Does your child squinting?
  • Have you noticed anything unusual in afight for your child's vision?
  • You have the eyes of their child has been injured?
Symptoms and treatment of Lazy eye (amblyopia)