Lazy Eye

What is amblyopia?

Commonly known as lazy eye, amblyopia is a disorder where vision is lost in one eye as a result of an uncorrected prescription during the early stages of development. 

What causes amblyopia?

When one eye transmits a clear image to the brain but the affected eye sends a poor image, the brain will ignore the affected eye. As time progress, very few connections are made between the eye and the brain and as a result, the eye becomes amblyopic. However, amblyopic eye is not blind as it mostly affects the central vision instead of peripheral vision.  

What are symptoms of amblyopia?

Unfortunately most of the time, amblyopic does not have symptoms. As long as the unaffected eye has good vision, it should be able to cover all visual tasks. Therefore if the good eye isn’t covered up, people often do not notice amblyopia. 

How is amblyopia diagnosed?

An eye examination can help to detect amblyopia. 

How to treat amblyopia?

Amblyopia can be treated with vision therapy, eyeglasses, contact lenses and patching. The key is to detect and treat the problem early, as treatment becomes very difficult later on.