Amblyopia -- or lazy eye -- is a condition that occurs in children when some underlying cause prevents vision from developing properly in one eye. If Amblyopia is left untreated, a child's vision will never fully develop correctly in that eye. Vision impairment becomes permanent because as the child’s brain matures, it will "ignore" the image coming from the poorly seeing eye. Because Amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss in one eye, it is important to have a child with Amblyopia regularly tested by an eye doctor.What Causes Amblyopia?
Amblyopia usually starts when one eye has much better focus than the other eye. For example, one eye might be very nearsighted or have a lot of astigmatism, while the other does not. When the child's brain is confronted with both a blurry image and a clear image, it will begin to ignore the blurry image. If this goes on for months or years, the vision in the eye that sees the blurry image will deteriorate.
Another cause of Amblyopia is strabismus. Strabismus is an ocular misalignment, meaning that one eye turns inward or outward. This prevents the eyes from focusing together on an image and can cause double vision. In order to combat this, the child's brain generally chooses to ignore the image from the deviated eye, causing the vision in that eye to deteriorate. Because one of the eyes is misaligned, some people refer to this as a "lazy eye."
Other children cannot see well in one eye because something blocks light from getting through. This could be due, among other causes, to a cataract or a small amount of blood or other material in the back of the eye.
It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Ophthalmologist for diagnosis and treatment.
