What is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia, commonly known as a lazy eye, is a condition in which one eye has poorer vision than the other, even with spectacles. It typically starts in children when one eye doesn’t receive a clear image, leading to its poor development. The crucial point here is that if detected early, usually in children under 8 years old, it can be treated, preventing life-long poor vision in the affected eye.
What are the symptoms of lazy eyes?
Symptoms of amblyopia are blurred vision in one eye. As this first develops in children, it is sometimes hard to detect, as they are often too young to notice or communicate with their parents about this blur. This is why at Capital Eye, your local optometrist in Canberra recommends that children should visit their optometrist at least once before turning 3. Your child may not experience any symptoms of blurry vision since the “good” eye is doing all their “seeing.”
Signs parents may notice include
- Covering or closing one eye while the child is concentrating
- Tilting their head while focusing
- Squinting to see clearly
Your optometrist in Canberra can diagnose and treat amblyopia if the condition is picked up early enough. Like most things, early detection is critical and significantly increases the chances of success of any therapy to treat lazy eyes.
How does Lazy Eyes Occur?
Amblyopia occurs when one eye receives a weaker signal in childhood. This can happen in many ways.
- Refractive errors.
- Strabismus or a turn eye
- A structural problem with the eye, such as ptosis (droopy lid) or a cataract which degrades the quality of the image one eye receives
The earlier treatment commences for a child with amblyopia, the better the outcome. Treatment aims to ensure that both eyes receive a clear image so that they develop correctly and encourage the brain to use the weaker eye. Treatments may include glasses or contact lenses, vision training, patching the “good” eye, forcing the weaker “lazy” eye to work or surgery for ptosis or congenital cataracts.
The Bottom Line
It’s important to note that regular eye examinations with your optometrist in Canberra and monitoring are necessary to ensure the success of treatments and to prevent the return of amblyopia. Lazy eye impedes children’s vision development and may affect their learning and performance at school.