Attending to Amblyopia

Your three-year-old son has reduced vision in one eye. As a matter of fact, the eye often wanders inward and outward. He could have amblyopia or lazy eye.

Amblyopia is the cause of blurry vision in one eye. Usually the brain will ignore the weaker eye and the eye will drift out of position. According to the Cleveland Clinic, amblyopia is the most common vision issue that affects children. It’s rare but amblyopia can affect both eyes at the same time.

If a child has amblyopia, then he will be able to have clear vision out of one eye while experiencing blurry vision out of the other. The brain will ignore the eye with the poorer vision and depend on the one with clearer vision. The weaker eye will get worse. This vision problem will need to be addressed by an eye specialist.

People sometimes refer to amblyopia as lazy eye or lazy vision. But it isn’t a true definition. When a child has amblyopia, he isn’t lazy, and neither are his eyes. The blurry vision isn’t caused by anything the child has done.

If your child has amblyopia, he might do some of the following:

·       Shut one eye and squint a lot.

·       Favor one side of their body.

·       Bump into objects (especially on one side of their body).

·       Tilt their head to one side.

·       Have crossed eyes.

·       Have a droopy eyelid.

Amblyopia occurs when something creates a difference between your child’s eyes and how they focus on the objects they look at. Some causes of amblyopia are other vision problems or structural issues with their eyes such as:

·       Refractive errors. A refractive error is something concerning the natural shape of the eyes or their ability to focus that makes your vision blurry. Refractive errors that aren’t treated right away lead to amblyopia. Some examples of refractive errors are farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.

·       Strabismus. Strabismus (crossed eyes) occurs when your eyes don’t line up with each other. Your eyes will generally move together at the same time. If one eye moves without matching the other, then your brain will start relying on one eye over the other.

·       Structural eye conditions. Structural eye conditions refers to any condition that affects how your child’s eyes function can cause blurry vision and lead to amblyopia such as droopy eyelids, cataracts and issues with the cornea.

·       Amblyopia risk factors. Any child can develop amblyopia. Some factors may make some children susceptible to amblyopia including having family members with eye or vision problems, developmental delays, premature birth and low birth weight.

The good news is that if amblyopia is treated early enough the condition is reversible.

To diagnose amblyopia, a healthcare provider or eye specialist will screen your child during their regular checkup. They will perform an eye exam to check out your child’s eyes (including inside of them). They will also look for anything that affects your child’s eyes’ ability to work as they should.

Often, a provider will diagnose amblyopia before you have a chance to notice any symptoms. Most children are too young to communicate that their vision is getting worse before a provider notices it. Tell your provider if your child positions their head differently or interacts with objects differently.

To treat amblyopia, your specialist will make your brain rely on the weaker eye to see and strengthen it. You can do this by having your child wear an eye patch for a few hours a day, wear eyeglasses, use medicated eye drops and surgery if needed.

Most children need amblyopia treatment for a few months. Encourage your child to stick with whatever treatment your specialist suggests and use the weaker eye whenever possible.

Unfortunately, you can’t prevent amblyopia. The best course of action is to have your child’s eyes checked regularly.

Amblyopia is highly treatable when your child is young. You can treat teens and adults with the condition, but it takes longer and is less effective. Regular vision tests are the answer to catching the condition early.

Your provider or eye specialist will suggest treatments that take care of the amblyopia and restore as much of your child’s sight as possible.