What Is A Lazy Eye - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Laziness has often been attributed to people. To hear of a lazy eye may at first puzzle many of us. So, what is a lazy eye? Our eye(s) may sometimes feel lazy to perform its function. That is to focus on objects and our surroundings and make us "see" them. This condition in which the eye feels lazy to make us see is also called Amblyopia of the eye. It is a condition seen in the early childhood.

Amblyopia usually results when images formed by one eye are favored by the brain. Usually this is the eye which forms a sharper and clearer image. The other eye is ignored by the brain because the image it produces is not as sharp or clear as the good eye. On rare instances, amblyopia may affect both eyes; when the quality of the image produced by both the eyes is poor.

When the brain ignores the image produced by one or both eyes, the visual system of the involved eye(s) fails to develop normally. This leads to amblyopia. Normally the visual system of babies will continue to develop till they are about seven or eight years of age. After this, sight remains more or less at the same level until changes related to age onset at adulthood.

The most common cause of amblyopia is squint. Squint may also be the result of untreated amblyopia. Some other causes include astigmatism, high refractive errors and congenital cataract.

Amblyopia may not be noticed until your child gets his / her first eye check up. Sometimes it may be detected when your child is taken to the doctor for other symptoms such as a squint, a drooping eye lid or a cataract.

The main aim of treatment of amblyopia is to make the undeveloped visual system of the affected eye develop. This is usually done by forcing the affected eye to work. A number of modes of treatment are available for this.

First and foremost is the correction of the underlying problem. For example, if your child has a cataract or a drooping eye lid, surgery to correct them should be the first thing to do. If your child needs glasses, they must be worn.

Covering the good eye with an eye patch is the commonest way of making the affected eye work and develops its visual system. Vision therapy in form of games and exercises which enhance the utilization of the affected eye helps to improve its vision. Instillation of atropine eye drops to the good eye so that the weaker eye will be forced to focus on objects and visualize them is also a method used for smaller babies.

If amblyopia is not treated at an early age, your child may not have equal and good sight in both eyes.

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