Amblyopia (or lazy eye) is the medical term
used when the vision
in one of the eyes is reduced because the eye and the brain are not
working together properly. The brain is favoring one eye over the other.
Amblyopia is
the most common cause of childhood visual impairment.
The condition
affects approximately 2 to 3 out of every 100 children.
Unless it is
successfully treated in early childhood, Amblyopia usually persists
into adulthood, and is the most common cause of monocular (one eye)
visual impairment among children, young and middle-aged adults.
Amblyopia may
be caused by any condition that affects normal visual development or
use of the eyes. Amblyopia can be caused by turned eyes (in or out),
difference in the refraction between the eyes, when one eye is more
nearsighted, farsighted, or astigmatic than the other eye.
Occasionally,
Amblyopia is caused by other eye conditions such as congenital cataract.
As a
consequence the children may experience blurry vision, double vision,
eye strain, reading problems and learning delays in school.
Ultimately, the Amblyopia could affect your child’s level scholastic
success.
For this
reason it is very important to have the optimal conditions for vision
formation in the first two years of life: equal correction between the
eyes and clear ocular media. The only way to find out the real
refractive error, the presence of pathology, or to prevent or treat the
Amblyopia, is regular eye exams in children. The risk for Amblyopia is
higher if the child has a family history of lazy eye, turned eyes, or
high refractive errors.
Treating
Amblyopia involves the presence of the best correction in front of the
amblyopic eye, and making the child use the eye with the reduced vision
(weaker eye). The normal eye is occluded for 2 hours a day, or dilated.
This treatment should be done as early in life as possible.
However, there have been encouraging results published for older
children between 9 to 17 years of age.
Call
today our
office and schedule an appointment for a comprehensive vision and
ocular health
assessment.
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