Amblyopia (Lazy eye)

This  blog on ‘Amblyopia (lazy eye)’ has been contributed by Dr. Suhair Twaij, consultant ophthalmologist in Adult & Paediatric Strabismus Surgery, General Paediatric Ophthalmology, Adult Cataract Surgery & General Ophthalmology

What is Amblyopia?

The most common cause of a visual deficiency in children is amblyopia or lazy eye. It occurs when the eye fails to work with the brain properly.

Although the eye may appear normal, the brain prefers the other eye. This can happen in the critical period of eye development, which is from birth until about age 7, when children’s eyes and the brain form vital connections. These connections can be blocked or prevented by anything that obstructs or blurs vision in one or both eyes, leading to lazy eye. Sometimes both eyes may be affected.

Causes

A number of things can interfere with normal brain–eye connections and lead to amblyopia;

• Strabismus (squint): a disorder in which the two eyes don’t line up in the same direction.
• Refractive errors: when one eye cannot focus as well as the other. This includes nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
• Cataract: a clouding in the lens of the eye.
• Droopy lid.
• Genetics play a role, too. Amblyopia tends to run in families. It’s also more common in children born prematurely or those with developmental delays.

Unfortunately, most children with amblyopia won’t complain of vision problems. Often, a parent or teacher might realize that a child is struggling with a vision problem, maybe noticing crossed eyes, frequent squinting, or tilting the head to see better. Some kids have poor depth perception (trouble seeing in three dimensions), difficulty with sports and clumsiness.

Diagnosis

Regular vision examinations by medical specialists are crucial for identifying any issues in children. To detect issues before a kid reaches visual maturity, these assessments should begin in the toddler and preschool years.

Treatment

As soon as possible, treatment should begin. The purpose of the treatment is to have the child use the eye with poorer vision. This is accomplished with eyewear, surgery, eye drops, eye patches, eye patches, or a combination of these.