Amblyopia or lazy eye consists of the loss of the ability to see well out of one eye, being the most frequent ophthalmologic pathology in children. According to specialists in Ophthalmology, the main cause is usually a lack of visual stimulation during childhood development. However, it is a pathology that is usually diagnosed when children are young and it is important to treat it then, otherwise it may continue when they are adults, without being able to be corrected.
Symptoms of lazy eye
The characteristic symptoms that can make parents, teachers or caregivers suspect of lazy eye are, if the child:
- One of the eyes is turned to one side.
- Does not see people who are close to him or her well or clearly
- He/she brings objects too close to the face to see them well.
However, as the lazy eye allows the child to see well through one eye, the child can usually function normally and it is not detected until a check-up with the pediatrician or ophthalmologist.
Why does lazy eye occur?
Lazy eye is the most common pathology in children and is characterized by the use of one eye less than the other, usually due to other related pathologies, such as strabismus or anisometropia (when one eye dominates the other). It is important to correct it before the child is six years old, since this is the period in which vision is finishing its formation and can be corrected.
How to treat lazy eye in children and results obtained
Lazy eye has different treatments depending on the specific case: glasses, occlusions of the dominant eye or penalization techniques. All these treatments consist of hindering the vision of the non-amblyopic eye, thus forcing the lazy eye to work.
Among the most commonly used penalization techniques are drops that dilate the pupil or using the “wrong” spectacle correction.
It is essential that the Ophthalmology specialist diagnoses and corrects the lazy eye in time, because if so, children usually recover 100% vision in most cases.