Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)
What is amblyopia?
Lazy eye, better known as amblyopia or lazy eye, is the lack of development or a decrease in vision due to a defect in the maturation of the visual system during the first years of life. Scientifically, there is an atrophy and regression of the neurons that encode the image. This situation usually confuses the brain and it may ignore the image sent by the weaker eye, as a system. Although it is usually monocular, there are also cases in which both eyes are affected. It is a childhood disease, so it is highly important that it is corrected at an early age so that it does not become chronic.
What are the symptoms?
Some of the most common symptoms of children with lazy eye are: eyes that turn inward or outward, lack of coordination between eyes, binocular vision that causes an inability to establish depth correctly or poor vision in one eye. Actions such as rubbing the eyes often, winking the eyes when looking or constant blinking of the eyes are also indications that the child or adult, in those cases not detected early, suffers from lazy eye.
Causes of amblyopia or why it occurs
The main cause is the lack of development in childhood of the nerve pathway from the eye to the brain. Another of the most common factors is strabismus, squinting eyes, which often has a family history. The presence of childhood cataracts, farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism can also lead to amblyopia.
Can it be prevented?
As amblyopia is a foreseeable and recoverable pathology, it should be detected as soon as possible. The main preventive measure is to detect those actions that may indicate that the child suffers from lazy eye. It is advisable for all children to have a complete eye examination at least once between 3 and 5 years of age.
What is the treatment?
If amblyopia is the result of another eye condition, it should be treated. In case of farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism, glasses will be needed. For the treatment of amblyopia, glasses are recommended as well as daily occlusions, that is, covering the eye with which the patient sees correctly for a certain number of hours; depending on the degree of amblyopia, the hours will depend on the degree of amblyopia. In some children the use of ophthalmic drops that blur the vision of the eye without problems will be recommended instead of patching. After 7 or 8 years of age, the opportunity to receive effective treatment for correction generally decreases. Children who cannot fully recover their vision or who have only one “good” eye should wear glasses with scratch- and fracture-resistant lenses.