What is Amblyopia?

Amblyopia is also known as “lazy eye” and is developed since early childhood. The main idea is that the normal sight of one eye failed to be developed so that we may speak about a poor vision of one eye. This is mainly because of the fact that brain favors the other eye and uses it the most.

How many types of Amblyopia exist?

There are several conditions of the eye that are sometimes inherited and may cause Amblyopia. There are three main causes that may develop Amblyopia:

• Injury that affects the clear image of the eye or any eye disease (even cataracts) may cause Amblyopia;
• Strabismus is the most frequent cause of Amblyopia. This eye condition is characterized by crossed eyes or eye aligned improperly and may develop Amblyopia so that one eye is favored over the other, leading to improper development of the brain cells of the lazy eye;
• Anisometropia is another eye condition that favors the appearance of Amblyopia. The essence of anisometropia is that the refractive capacity of the eyes is different, situation, which is very difficult to balance fro the brain. In this way, Amblyopia occurs. The problem is that this type of Amblyopia is more difficult to detect, because the appearance of normal sight is kept.

How can Amblyopia be detected?

Amblyopia is not that simple to detect, especially because of the fact that it appears in early childhood. The most obvious reason for consulting the doctor is the improper alignment of the eyes, but this aspect is not possible in all the cases. The existence of family members or relatives with this eye affection may be a solid reason for a vision exam for the child when the age of 4 is reached or even earlier. In this way, you may detect if there are any abnormal procedures in the refractive power of both eyes and if the brain cells of both eyes develop properly.

In what way may be Amblyopia corrected?

The treatment requires much care and attention for the non-preferred eye so that the brain cells that are responsible for the refractive power of that eye may develop in an adequate way. That is why the most recommended correction method is covering the preferred eye in some cases for weeks or months. The period of such treatment depends on the severity of the eye condition and of the desirable response from the development of the brain cells of the non-preferred eye. The improvement of the non-preferred eye may require later patching of the preferred eye in order to maintain the performance of both eyes. Glasses are another method that may help in balancing the refractive power of the eyes and in correcting the errors in the eye focus upon things and distances.

Unfortunately, if the period of the early childhood passes and the Amblyopia is discovered later the success is more difficult to achieve. The age of 9 is decisive for the Amblyopia, as in many cases it does not return. That is why the efficient treatment is necessary before reaching this age. Moreover, the cooperation of the parents and of the child is needed, because in many cases children dislike patches and have difficulties in managing with the non-preferred eye.

These are the most important facts about Amblyopia: the way it appears and develops; the causes and the way it is detected and finally, the methods in which it can be corrected. There are some other relevant aspects about Amblyopia regarding the age of its development and the required age for the successful treatment.