What is amblyopia or lazy eye?
Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is the loss of visual ability in one or both eyes. It is a pathology that originates during childhood and, if not treated in time, can become detrimental in adulthood. It affects 3-4% of school-age children (6 to 10 years old).
It is usually caused by a lack of visual stimulation during the period in which vision develops. Therefore, it is important that figures such as teachers or parents are attentive to the possible symptoms of amblyopia, since a child does not know how to distinguish what it is to see well or poorly.
A visual learning corrector is when both eyes receive a clear image of what is being seen. If the patient has a problem that causes the image not to reach the brain correctly, the brain will override the development of that eye, making it lazy.
Symptoms
As mentioned above, amblyopia begins to develop during childhood, so be aware of these symptoms:
- Strabismus: when one of the eyes deviates to one side.
- Optical defects such as myopia or astigmatism: The patient does not adequately identify people nearby and receives a blurred image.
- When the patient brings objects very close to the face in order to see them well.
- When one eye has a higher prescription than the other (anisometropia) causing one eye to work harder than the other.
In most cases, young children do not notice the problem when they see well through one eye and function normally. For this reason, it is very important to carry out periodic check-ups to detect it in time.
Indicated treatment
Amblyopia is treated according to the patient, as it can be manifested by different causes.
Thus, we can find solutions through glasses, occlusions of the dominant eye or penalization techniques. In other words, a treatment will be performed to force the lazy eye to “work”.
One of the most effective measures today is occlusion of the healthy eye by means of a patch or drops to dilate the pupil.
In addition, there are often cases of lazy eyes that need intervention: when a drooping eyelid that covers the pupil or a cataract is present.
Results
Once the factor causing amblyopia has been found and the relevant treatment has been performed, the patient will recover 100% vision in most cases.
Therefore, it is imperative that it be performed at an early age, so that both eyes see equally well.
Once the treatment has taken effect, it is also important to perform ophthalmologic controls.