This Condition Is Sometimes Referred to As Lazy Eye . It Begins in Infancy Or Childhood

Amblyopia

This condition is sometimes referred to as “lazy eye”. It begins in infancy or childhood when one eye experiences a blurred view and the other eye a normal view. This unequal vision input during infancy and early childhood “trains” the brain to only see blurry with that eye and unless treated can cause permanent damage.

Forms

Strasbismic amblyopia can occur whenever the eyes are not straight. One or both eyes may turn in, out, up, or down and the brain learns to turn off the eye that is not functioning properly.

Deprivation amblyopia can occur whenever cataracts or other similar conditions deprive eyes of visual experience.

Refractive amblyopia happens when there is a large and unequal amount of refractive error (glasses strength) in a child’s eyes. The brain “turns off” the eye that has more astigmatism (distorted imagery) or more farsightedness (focusing defect caused by an underpowered eye, that has insufficient refractive power).

Treatment

One treatment is to correct the refractive error with glasses or contact lenses. Another treatment is to create as clear a picture as possible within the eye by removing any cataracts (This would be a treatment for the deprivation amblyopia.) Another treatment, which most people associate with the term “lazy eye”, is the patching of the dominant eye to force the child to use the weak eye. Atropine drops are also used to blur the good eye to help the weaker eye to get stronger by forced usage.

Functional Implications

Vision will improve for most children if amblyopia is detected and treated early. Most likely you will not have students wearing eye patches in your classroom. However if you do, a teacher should make sure that other students understand the need for the patch and create an atmosphere of acceptance.

References

American Association for Pediatrics’

Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

(n.d.).Amblyopia Retrieved July 05,2010 from

Goldberg, Md., Stephen. (1982).

Opthalmology made ridiculously

simple.(pp.16-18).Miami:

MedMaster, Inc.

Kellog Eye Center. (2008, January 04.).

Amblyopia(Lazy Eye): Definiton,

Description, and Treatment

Retrieved July 04, 2010, from

Lueck, Amanda Hall. (Ed.). Functional Vision (p121). New York: AFB Press

National Eye Institute. (2009, July 20).Amblyopia Retrieved July04, 2010, from

Developed by Phyllis Bryan