A lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is a vision development disorder in children where one eye does not develop normal sight, often resulting in reduced vision in that eye.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
- Abnormal Visual Development: Lazy eye develops early in childhood, typically from birth up to age 7. During this critical period, the brain favors the "stronger" eye.
- Reduced Vision: Because the brain favors the stronger eye, the weaker (lazy) eye doesn't get properly stimulated. This leads to decreased vision in that eye, which may not be fully correctable with glasses or contacts alone if left untreated.
- Eye Misalignment: Often, the lazy eye will wander inward (esotropia) or outward (exotropia). However, sometimes the eyes appear aligned even with amblyopia.
- Leading Cause of Vision Decrease: Amblyopia is the most common cause of decreased vision in children.
Causes of Lazy Eye:
- Strabismus (Eye Misalignment): The most common cause, where the eyes point in different directions.
- Refractive Errors: Unequal refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) in each eye. The brain favors the eye with less refractive error.
- Other Eye Conditions: Less commonly, lazy eye can be caused by cataracts, droopy eyelids (ptosis), or other eye problems that block or blur vision.
Why Early Detection is Important:
Early detection and treatment are crucial for improving vision in the lazy eye. Treatment options include:
- Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses: To correct refractive errors.
- Eye Patching: Wearing a patch over the stronger eye to force the brain to use the weaker eye.
- Eye Drops (Atropine): Blurring the vision in the stronger eye to encourage the use of the weaker eye.
- Surgery: In some cases, surgery may be needed to correct eye muscle imbalance.
Without treatment, lazy eye can lead to permanent vision loss in the affected eye.