Amblyopia
Amblyopia is the medical term for a condition in which one or both eyes cannot see well, even when wearing the proper glasses. This occurs because the eye does not develop proper connections with the visual portion of the brain. Various conditions can cause the brain to “ignore” one eye, allowing the other eye to become dominant. The most common condition is unequal refractive error which occurs when one eye has significantly more farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism than its partner eye. Another cause of amblyopia is strabismus, a condition in which one eye crosses in, drifts out, or wanders up in relation to its partner eye. Anything which blocks light from entering the central pupil of the eye can also cause amblyopia. This includes a very droopy eyelid (ptosis), a large growth over the eye, or a cloudy lens (cataract).
Amblyopia is also called “lazy eye.” This does not mean that the eye crosses or moves abnormally. It also does not always mean that the child acts any differently from a normally seeing child. In fact, many parents are surprised to find that their child has amblyopia because they say “he can see any speck on the floor,” or “her eyes never look crossed.” Children are very good at compensating for the weak eye by relying on their dominant eye. Most children with amblyopia are asymptomatic until they are older. At that point, successful treatment may be too late. Treatment of amblyopia depends on its cause. In most cases, it involves wearing glasses full time to help properly focus the lazy eye. Then, patching of the dominant eye is done for several hours a day in order to help stimulate the vision in the weak eye. Patching can be achieved by physically covering the good eye, or by blurring its vision with the use of dilating eye drops. The most common drop treatment is with Atropine which is instilled in the good eye once or twice a week by the parent. Side effects include light sensitivity because of the dilated pupil, and rarely, an allergic reaction. For patching or atropine to be effective, the treatment is best started when the child is young, and faithfully carried out under the doctor’s direction until the child is between 8 and 9 years old. Correcting a child’s amblyopia requires diligence and understanding on the part of the parent. Our office will guide you through patching therapy. More information is available in the UCEC Update section.