A lazy eye or amblyopia is an eye which has not developed as it should during the early childhood years. The result is that, even with corrective lenses, these patients' vision is poor to very poor. There is nothing wrong with the eye itself, but the image that enters the eye is suppressed by the brain.
A lazy eye or amblyopia is an eye which has not developed as it should during the early childhood years. The result is that, even with corrective lenses, these patients’ vision is poor to very poor. There is nothing wrong with the eye itself, but the image that enters the eye is suppressed by the brain.
Usually a lazy eye first appears in infancy, or at pre-school or elementary school ages. In this phase of life, the visual acuity is at the height of its development, and the lazy eye can still be treated successfully. In any case, amblyopia is best detected in early childhood, so that an appropriate course of treatment can be established.
There are various causes of a lazy eye. The most commonly occurring cause is crossed eyes, or when the two eyes are not oriented toward the same point. To protect against double vision, the brain switches off the image from one of the free eyes. The other eye forgets how to see and becomes ‘lazy’. A lazy eye can also be caused by a refractive error which has not been properly corrected or by eye disorders such as a drooping eyelid or cloudiness of the lens or cornea.
A lazy or amblyopic eye is considered a Paediatric ophthalmology disorder and must be treated before the age of 7 years. The treatment consists of wearing glasses or covering the non-lazy eye. Our orthoptist will be glad to advise you further.
In cases of crossed eyes, or strabismus, it is not possible to orient both optical axes toward one point; in other words, both eyes cannot be fixed on one object at the same time. One of the eyes turns away—inwardly, outwardly or upwardly. Often, strabismus is accompanied by a lazy eye.
In cases of crossed eyes, or strabismus, it is not possible to orient both optical axes toward one point; in other words, both eyes cannot be fixed on one object at the same time. One of the eyes turns away—inwardly, outwardly or upwardly. Often, strabismus is accompanied by a lazy eye. In most cases, the lazy eye is treated first before correcting the directional deviations.
Strabismus occurs in children and adults and can have many causes. These may include an eye abnormality, far-sightedness or inadequate control of the muscle balance in the eye muscles. Strabismus may also arise after a childhood illness or in cases of extreme fatigue, although it may also be caused by paralysis of an eye muscle after an accident or by neurological abnormalities.
With a view to achieving good eyesight, it is extremely important to make this diagnosis and to perform the appropriate treatment while the patient is still a child. The younger, the better. Usually, we treat the lazy eye first and then the strabismus. Let one of our eye doctors carry out an in-depth examination of your child.
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