Causes and Symptoms of Amblyopia
Amblyopia or lazy eye is a visual disorder in which the individual is not able to see details clearly. This occurs mainly in one eye. There is no problem in the eye except that the eye has not been used properly during childhood resulting in poor vision. It is a developmental problem with the brain where the brain cells are not stimulated adequately resulting in this abnormality.
Causes: Any factor that helps favor one eye over the other is a cause for Amblyopia. Misaligned eyes, cataract during childhood, short sight, far sight, astigmatism are some of the causes. Tobacco or alcohol may also cause physiological damage and lead to this condition. Vision is usually strong in one eye and the other eye is ignored by the brain in order to avoid a clash of images. The time period between birth and two years is the critical stage and by five to ten years the condition tends to become permanent.
Symptoms: Amblyopia tends to go unnoticed till a later stage as the child is able to see. The first thing one will notice is that they have a different perception of depth, are sensitive to contrast and are not able to judge moving objects. If a child is seen having crossed eyes, eyes turning inwards or outwards, inability to judge depth, colors etc they need to be checked for Amblyopsia. No special tests are required to diagnose the same.
Types: Amblyopsia can be classified into Strabismic Amblyopia, Refractive or anisometropic Amblyopia and Form-deprivation and occlusion Amblyopia depending on the cause.
Treatment: The treatment is more effective in younger children as the brain accepts change easily. An adhesive eye patch is taped over the normal eye to force the other eye to focus. Eye drops may also be used to blur the patient’s vision. However, one should be careful not to overdo it as it might result in the good eye becoming amblyopic. In addition to this the primary reason for the abnormality should also be treated to prevent its recurrence. If the vision cannot be corrected then special glasses are recommended. Vision therapy and training programs may also be done.
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