What is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye," is the medical term used when the vision in one of the eyes is reduced because the eye is not being used properly. The eye itself may look normal, but it is not being used normally because the brain is favoring the other eye. Sometimes this is caused by a crossing in or turning out of the eyes. Other times this is caused by a difference in the refraction between the two eyes, called anisometropia. Amblyopia is the most common cause of decreased vision in children. Although treatment can be initiated at any age, the earlier it is detected and treated, the easier it is to obtain a sucessful outsome. Amblyopia persisting from childhood is a common cause of decreased vision in adults. Strabismus and Amblyopia Evaluation
The treatment of amblyopia involves making your child use the eye with the reduced vision. There are two main methods currently used to do this. In one method, a patch is worn over the good eye to force the child to use the weak eye. In the other method, a drop is placed in the good eye once a day to blur the vision in the good eye so that the child will prefer to use the weak eye. The level of amblyopia and age of the child will determine which method is most suited for the child.
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