Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)

WHAT IS AMBLYOPIA?

It is a condition of visual impairment even though there is no abnormality in the eyes, in the optic nerves or in the brain. It can occur in one eye or both eyes.

The visual center in the brain develops until the age of five. Eyes are sending regular images to the visual center in the brain for this purpose. Otherwise, the visual center cannot develop and amblyopia occurs.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF AMBLYOPIA?

Refractive (hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism) amblyopia: This type develops due to the difference in refraction between the eyes. In other words, due to the difference in one eye’s ability to see far or near clearly, the other eye is used less and becomes lazy.

Deprivation Amblyopia: In this condition, the stimuli necessary for the normal development of one eye are insufficient. For example, an obstacle such as cataract, corneal opacities, or droopy upper lid covering the pupil prevents the eye from seeing normally and makes the eye lazy.

Strabismus Amblyopia: In strabismus, one eye looks in a different direction than the other. In this case, the brain cannot combine the different images from the two eyes. The stronger eye is preferred while the other eye becomes lazy.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AMBLYOPIA?

Symptoms of lazy eye or amblyopia are usually recognized during childhood. These symptoms may include:

Focusing With One Eye: The child usually starts to use one eye and neglects the other eye. Especially when one eye is weaker than the other, the stronger eye is preferred.

Eye Shift: A condition called strabismus can be one of the symptoms of amblyopia. When one eye is looking in its normal position, the other eye may shift in a different direction.

Problems With Depth Perception With One Eye: Children with lazy eye may have problems with depth perception. For example, they may have difficulty with activities such as estimating distance or catching a ball.

Blurred Vision: The eye with amblyopia often cannot see clearly or the image may be blurred. This can affect a child’s school performance and cause difficulty with activities such as reading and writing.

 Eye Pain Or Fatigue: Children with lazy eye may feel pain or fatigue when trying to use their weak eye.

Squeezing The Eyelids: In some cases, children with lazy eye may express discomfort by squeezing their eyelids or constantly rubbing their eyes.

Keeping the head in a tilted position: This is seen in eye muscle dysfunction.

HOW IS AMBLYOPIA TREATED?

Amblyopia should be diagnosed and treated until a certain age. The crucial period for amblyopia due to strabismus is until 7-8 years of age. The crucial period for amblyopia due to eye disorders (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism) is until 11-12 years of age. In other words, lazy vision cannot be treated after these ages.

For this reason, pediatric eye examination should be performed in the first 6 months, at the age of 1 year, at the age of 3-5 years and when starting primary school.

Closure Therapy: This therapy is a treatment method for amblyopia. The healthy eye is closed and the lazy eye is activated. Full-time or part-time closure depends on the age of the patient and the degree of illness. Younger patients heal faster. If the visual acuity starts improving with the beginning of the therapy, healing period will be shorter. If there is no improvement after 6 months of closure, further treatment is unlikely to be effective.

Sometimes children cannot close their eyes and cannot adapt to the treatment. In this case, drops that blur vision (atropine) are instilled into the healthy eye and the lazy eye is forced to see.

During closure treatment, it is important not to cause laziness in the healthy eye. For this, the vision of both eyes should be checked at frequent intervals.

The content of our website has been created for informational purposes.  It does not constitute a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. An ophthalmologist should be consulted for definitive diagnosis and treatment.