Amblyopia
What is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is a vision disorder in children caused by the brain not correctly processing visual images from one eye.
It usually occurs when the muscles of one eye are weaker than those of the other eye, causing it to be unable to focus on near and far objects.
Even though both eyes may appear normal, the weaker eye often moves more than the stronger one.
In severe cases, the brain may “turn off” signals from the weaker eye and only use those signals from the stronger one, which can result in poor vision or even blindness in that eye.
What causes amblyopia in children?
It happens when one or both eyes do not develop regular sight during childhood.
Conditions that affect how the eyes work together cause amblyopia, such as strabismus, also known as crossed eyes, and unequal refractive errors, where the eye is not focusing light properly.
Amblyopia can also be caused by a difference between the vision in the two eyes, such as one eye having better vision than the other.
Other causes of amblyopia may include cataracts, ptosis (droopy eyelid), and uncorrected farsightedness.
Signs & Symptoms
Children with amblyopia may experience the following signs and symptoms
- One or both eyes turning in (strabismus or crossed eyes)
- Blurred vision in the affected eye
- Poor depth perception and difficulty with 3-D vision
- Poor fine motor coordination or clumsiness
- Tilting of the head when attempting to focus on an object
- Squinting one eye when looking at objects
- Reduced stereopsis (ability to perceive depth from both eyes working together
- Eye redness, irritation, or tearing
Risk Factors
The most common risk factors for developing amblyopia include:
- Uncorrected refractive error (need for glasses)
- Strabismus (misalignment of the eyes)
- Unequal visual acuity
- Anisometropia
- High astigmatism
- Pathology of the eye or eyelid
- Microtropia
- Aniseikonia
Diagnoses
Amblyopia is usually diagnosed during a comprehensive eye exam. During the exam, your child’s doctor will check their vision with an eye chart and evaluate how well the eyes focus, move, and work together.
The doctor may also use other tests to diagnose amblyopia, such as examining how light reflects from the retina or using special lenses to correct any refractive errors.
If your child’s doctor suspects amblyopia, they may refer your child to a pediatric ophthalmologist or optometrist for further evaluation and treatment.
Treatment
The most common treatment for amblyopia in children is wearing an eye patch over the stronger eye, forcing the weaker eye to work harder and strengthen it.
Eyeglasses can correct any vision problems causing amblyopia, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.
In more severe cases, eye drops may be used to blur the vision in the stronger eye.
In some cases, vision therapy may be prescribed to help retrain the brain to use both eyes together.
The Children's Hospital of San Antonio
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