Amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye
As a standard part of my practice I see a lot of children, ranging in age from 6 months and up. One of the conditions I see with some frequency is Amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye. If this condition is left untreated it will result in permanent vision loss.
What exactly is Amblyopia? Basically the brain doesn’t learn how to interpret the signal being sent. This could be due to the image being sent blurry from 1 or both eyes or double vision caused by a wandering eye. The image or signal has to be sent clear and not double for the brain to learn how to see. This brain development rapidly occurs over the first 3 years of life. If it is not sent clear the poor vision becomes permanent once the child reaches a certain age.
An optometrist can detect amblyopia on children as young as 6 months of age. Through a series of testing and evaluating your doctor will be able to tell if your child has a lazy eye.
If your child has been diagnosed with amblyopia there are treatment options. Occasionally it is as simple as having them wear glasses. Usually, covering or blurring the good eye to force the brain to pay attention to the weaker eye for a portion of the day can spark brain development of the lazy eye and allow it to catch up with the better eye. The older the child the more difficult it is for the brain to do this.
The key to treating lazy eye is early diagnosis. Why not take a moment today and contact your eye care team and schedule an appointment to have your child’s eyes examined.
Contact our office to request an appointment