Lazy Eye: What Are the Causes and Treatments?

Lazy eye or amblyopia can be treated if diagnosed early. It happens when one eye has reduced vision and often wanders inward or outward. 

Some children are born with this condition while others develop amblyopia later in childhood. There are factors that increases the chance of your child to have the condition including: 

  • Being born early Premature birth 
  • Smaller than average in birth 
  • Have a family history of the condition 
  • Have childhood cataracts and other eye conditions 
  • Have developmental problems 

Doctors check symptoms of lazy eye in children. Children aged 3 to 5 years old should be checked for their vision at least once. 

 

Symptoms of Lazy Eye

Lazy eye can be a troublesome condition to detect and can sometimes only be diagnosed once it’s already in the severe stages. Here are some of the early signs of lazy eye: 

  • An eye that wanders inward or outward 
  • Poor depth perception 
  • Eyes that seemed not to be working together 
  • Double vision 
  • Occurrences of bumping into objects 
  • Squinting 

 

Causes of Lazy Eye

Lazy eye is associated with developmental problems in one’s brain. It is also caused by: 

  • Genetics of or family history 
  • Different levels of vision 
  • Damage to eyes due to trauma 
  • Vitamin A deficiency 
  • Vision impairment 
  • Glaucoma 
  • Eye surgery 

 

Treatments Available

If there is an underlying condition causing lazy eye, doctors will recommend a treatment appropriate for that. 

Some of the early treatment measures include:  

  • Corrective Glasses/ contact lenses 
  • Wearing an Eye patch over the eye with better vision 
  • Eye drops medication 
  • Surgery 

Your doctor will provide a treatment appropriate to the severity and stage of your amblyopia. 

 

 

SOURCE: 

https://www.healthline.com/health/lazy-eye#outlook 

https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/amblyopia-lazy-eye#:~:text=Amblyopia%20(also%20called%20lazy%20eye,the%20sight%20from%201%20eye

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