"Lazy eye" or amblyopia, is a condition that develops in early childhood
and results in weak vision in one eye. Amblyopia occurs when the
visual message to the brain from one eye is partly ignored. This can occur
for a number of reasons. For instance, if the vision to one eye is blocked
by an inborn cataract or lid droop, the eye will receive no visual messages
to strengthen the signal to the brain. More commonly, the visual signal from
one eye is "drowned out" by the other more dominant eye. This results
in poorer visual acuity in the weak eye, and a resultant loss of depth perception.
A common cause for this is an eye that turns in or out (known as crossed-eye
or strabismus). Another common cause is an eye that requires a substantially
stronger prescription compared to the fellow eye (this is called anisometropia).
All of this underscores the value of early childhood eye exams. Some vision
screenings, such as the Redlands Lions Club screenings here in the Grand Valley,
screen children for signs of strabismus and anisometropia.
Corrective action for a lazy eye may include glasses, contact lenses, training
exercises, eye drops, patching, or even surgery. Most experts agree that by
the age of 6 to 8 years, it becomes very difficult to cure amblyopia, leaving
the individual with a life-long handicap.
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