Amblyopia Vision Treatment

Amblyopia ("lazy eye") is a condition of reduced vision in one eye which has not been used as much as the other eye. Causes include strabismus, congenital cataracts, uncorrected vision differences in one eye and severe drooping of the eyelids. Amblyopia can be reversed if it is diagnosed early in your child's life.

Patching

• Amblyopia develops in infancy. Your child's symptoms may include squinting, one eye turning up, in or out, closing one eye to see and developing eyestrain or headaches. If she doesn't learn how to use that eye, she could experience vision loss and become functionally blind in her weak eye.
  Once your daughter has been diagnosed, her eye doctor may prescribe an eye patch which he will place over your daughter's dominant eye. The goal is to get your daughter to use her weaker (lazy) eye so she doesn't develop a permanent impairment in her weak eye. If the doctor decides this will be the most effective treatment, he will specify how many hours a day your daughter should wear her eye patch and how long treatment should last. Your daughter should be seen for follow up to make sure she is responding to the eye patch.

Correct Eyeglass Prescription

• Amblyopia can develop from differences in vision between the two eyes. If your child has developed lazy eye because his vision in one eye is worse (blurrier) than in the other eye, his eye doctor may prescribe glasses to correct this difference. The lens for the weaker (lazy) eye will be stronger than that for the stronger eye. Your son will begin to use his weaker eye more as he gets used to his glasses.

Eye Drops

• Your may have to instill a special eye drop into your daughter's stronger eye which will blur the vision in that eye. Once her brain can't rely on the vision from the stronger eye, it will begin to use the vision from the weaker, lazy eye, forcing her eye to become stronger and more active. Your daughter will not like this because she will think you're trying to "blind" her. You'll have to explain why you are trying to help her rely more on her weaker eye. Once she begins to respond to the eye drops and her weaker eye begins to become stronger, she may become more compliant to the eye drops.

Corrective Surgery

• Your son's eye doctor may decide to operate on your son's eye, especially when the amblyopia is accompanied by strabismus (inability of his eye to focus in cooperation with his other eye because of an imbalance of the muscles of his eyeball). The earlier surgery is done in this instance, the better so he can develop strong vision in both eyes.