Amblyopia or lazy eye
Amblyopia, more commonly known as lazy eye or lazy eye is the lack of development in the visual system during childhood. Amblyopia usually affects one eye, although sometimes it can also affect both eyes.
The existence of lazy eye can occur both in children and in adults and is compatible with the presence of other visual diseases such as myopia.
Amblyopia or lazy eye
Amblyopia, more commonly known as lazy eye or lazy eye is the lack of development in the visual system during childhood. Amblyopia usually affects one eye, although sometimes it can also affect both eyes.
The existence of lazy eye can occur both in children and in adults and is compatible with the presence of other visual diseases such as myopia.
What is amblyopia?
The lazy eye or amblyopia consists of a decreased vision due to a delay in the development of visual function during childhood. Although it is more frequent that only affects one eye, this condition it can also occur in both eyes.
Amblyopia should be corrected during childhood or at an early age, from 9-12 years the recovery is much more complex or even irreversible.
Causes
Amblyopia or lazy eye is caused by a disturbance that affects the normal development of vision during childhood. Often comes when there is no alignment between both eyes, as in the case of patients with squint.
This condition may also appear when one eye does not focus the same as the other because it presents a greater degree of myopia, farsightedness o astigmatism. This wrong approach can cause one eye to be canceled, becoming lazy and generating a eye dependence with better vision.
Although less frequent, congenital cataracts or any factor that hinders or prevents a clear and sharp image focused on the eye, can lead to the development of amblyopia in childhood.
Symptom
Amblyopia is often not easily detected as a child may not be aware of having one eye that sees less than the other. Unless the child has a squint or other obvious sign of abnormality, there is nothing to suggest the presence of this condition to parents, so it is basic observe the child's behaviorWell, some signals may suggest a problem, For example:
- The child is very close to objects to be able to focus them better.
- Can acquire manias as wink an eye, touch it frequently or blink a lot, this could indicate that there is blurred vision.
- Any gesture that makes us suspect that the child could not have an effective visual acuity they must be an alert to go to a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Treatment of amblyopia or lazy eye
The treatment of amblyopia focuses on the greater use of the eye with less vision. It is usually done covering the good eye with a patch for a few weeks or months, if necessary, must be prescribed glasses to make vision blurry or cause an imbalance of focus. This treatment is usually accompanied by visual exercises to improve results.
Sometimes amblyopia is treated without the need to completely occlude the eye, adding a drug that makes vision blurred, so the child will be forced to use the lazy eye to focus properly.
If a strabismus or an abnormality such as Cataracts is detected, the ophthalmologist must decide medical treatment or surgical in order to correct the problem causing amblyopia.
If amblyopia is not treated may appear severe alterations like the lazy eye can develop a serious and irreversible defect, depth perception can be greatly reduced and, if the dominant eye suffers an illness or accident, a very poor vision y no possibility of improvement.
In most cases, parents play an important and decisive role in solving their children's amblyopia, accompanying the child and making sure that he continues the treatment to obtain the best results.
Treatment of amblyopia in adults
Detecting this condition during childhood and treating it preferably before 8 years of age is essential, because until that age the visual system is not fully developed and the lazy eye can be trained successfully.
If amblyopia has been detected for the first time after eight or nine years of age, the treatment is not usually as effective, although on some occasions when It is caused by refractive error differences like myopia, can be treated with relative success in youth or adults. To determine the possible treatment and its success, it is essential to consult a specialist ophthalmologist.
