It means that a person's vision is weak or lazy. The medical term for lazy eye is amblyopia say: am-blee-OH-pee-uh. Strabismus and amblyopia are closely related and often but not always occur together. Sometimes strabismus can cause amblyopia, and sometimes it's the other way around with amblyopia causing strabismus. When a kid has both conditions, it may be difficult to say which came first. So what happens when a kid has an eye that isn't straight? To understand, first you need to know a little bit about the eye.
The eye is like a camera, and the back of the eye, called the retina , is the film. Objects that your eyes see are projected onto the retina, and these pictures are sent to the brain by way of nerve signals. The brain detects these signals, puts them together to form an image, and that's how you see. It's amazing that it all happens so quickly — in a split second! When a kid has strabismus, the eyes don't focus together on the same object and each eye sends a different picture to the brain.
As a result, the brain might see two images double vision or the object looks blurry. Kids' brains are really smart, and they don't like getting two different pictures instead of one. A number of conditions and factors can lead you to rely on one eye more than the other. These include:. Amblyopia usually occurs in only one eye. The American Optometric Association recommends that children have eye exams when they are 6 months old and 3 years old. After that, children should receive routine exams every 2 years, or more frequently, from ages 6 to Your eye doctor will typically perform a standard eye exam to assess vision in both of your eyes.
This involves a series of tests, such as:. Among other things, your doctor will check your vision clarity, eye muscle strength, and how well your eyes focus. They will look for a wandering eye or differences in vision between your eyes. For most amblyopia diagnoses, an eye examination is all that is required. Treating underlying eye conditions is the most effective way to treat amblyopia. In other words, you need to help your damaged eye develop normally. Early treatment measures are simple and may include eyeglasses, contact lenses, eye patches, eye drops, or vision therapy.
The earlier you get treatment, the better the outcome. Wearing an eye patch over your dominant eye can help strengthen your weaker eye. Your doctor will probably suggest that you wear the patch 1 to 2 hours a day, depending on how severe your amblyopia is. The patch will help develop your brain area that controls vision. To avoid seeing double , the child's brain may ignore the image from the eye that is not focused straight ahead.
But this can keep that eye from developing properly. Having a refractive error means being nearsighted , farsighted , or having astigmatism distorted or blurry vision. A child may have a refractive error that is worse in one eye.
That eye can "turn off," and vision will not develop properly. This can be difficult to tell since the child's vision seems fine when using both eyes. Some children are born with a cataract , where the eye's normally clear lens is cloudy. This can keep vision from developing properly in that eye.
About Foundation Museum of the Eye. Amblyopia: What Is Lazy Eye?
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