By Anika Logan

Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is not an eye disease per se but in this case the brain does not acknowledge the images that are seen by the eye that is afflicted. This causes reduced vision in the eye that is deemed lazy. Lazy eye is classified as a disorder of the eye that brings about blurry or poor vision in an eye that appears perfectly normal looking from the outside. Lazy eye is believed to be a developmental problem that takes place in the brain as opposed to an organic problem that is connected to the eye. It is estimated that approximately one to five percent of the population is affected by the condition of amblyopia while three percent of young children under the age of six years suffer from it.

The condition of lazy eye generally only affects one eye but there have been cases where it has brought about lessened vision in both eyes. This tends to be the exception as opposed to the rule.

Causes of Lazy Eye

Lazy eye can occur if anything at all interferes with the development of clear vision during the critical period from birth to six years of age. Doctors have ascertained that the most common causes of the development of lazy eye include constant strabismus (or the constant turning of an eye), anisometropia (which means vision is not the same in each eye which necessitates a different prescription for each eye), cataract, trauma to one eye, the drooping of an eyelid and so on.

As previously stated, lazy eye is a “neurologically active process” which means that the loss or reduction in vision is due to something that has happened in the brain and not in the eye. If an individual has proper vision in one eye but has blurred vision in the other then the brain can block, ignore, inhibit or suppress the eye that is blurred. In some cases the brain is also able to suppress the vision of one eye in order to make sure double vision does not occur. This process of suppression or inhibition can have a consequence a permanent reduction in vision in the eye that is blurry and this condition cannot be corrected by way of glasses, contact lenses of lasik surgery.

Detection and Diagnosis of Amblyopia

An eye exam conducted at the pediatrician’s office or a screening with the 20/20 eye chart is often not enough to unearth the problem of lazy eye, and this goes for other vision related problems as well. The old standard 20/20 letter charts are not used as often as they used to be and they have been largely replaced by the more sophisticated visual acuity tests that are used regularly by pediatricians, eye doctors and school nurses to detect Eye Problems in children. In the case of young children, the exam does not take place until the child has been given cycloplegic drops in both eyes, which help to dilate the pupils.

Lazy eye is not an obvious physical condition and due to the fact that it usually only affects one eye, often parents and teachers are not aware that a child suffers from it. Sometimes the child with the condition is not even aware of it until their eyes are thoroughly examined. For this reason many young children have the problem but it goes undetected until they are preteens or even teenagers. It is strongly recommended that parents take their babies and their children of preschool age to the doctor or eye doctor for a comprehensive visual evaluation.

Treatment of Lazy Eye

Treatment for lazy eye can take a number of different forms be it glasses, vision therapy and/or patching, eye drops and is some cases, surgery. Medical research studies into lazy eye have shown that it is a condition that can be treated with much success if treated before an individual reaches the age of 17. Lazy eye can be treated after the age of 17 years but it is likely to be a lengthy process that requires a great deal more effort including a type of visual therapy. The good news is that improvements to lazy age can be made at any age however early detection leading to treatment tends to yield the best outcome possible.

Before a doctor begins treating a case of lazy eye it is important that the underlying cause of the problem is discovered and treated first. For example many children are prescribed glasses in order to with the misalignment of the eyes and/or to improve the focusing power of the eyes.

Surgery is sometimes done on the eye muscles in order to straighten the eyes. Surgery is only done if all other methods prove to not be successful. Surgery can aid the person suffering from lazy eye as it makes it possible for both eyes to work in better synchronicity with each other. For the patient undergoing surgery, the doctor may recommend that special eye exercises be done, either before the surgery or In some cases, afterwards in order to correct faulty eye habits that have developed in relation to strabismus (the constant turning of the eye) and to also allow fro the comfortable use of the both eyes in concert with one another.

Once the underlying cause of lazy eye is detected then an appropriate course of treatment can be decided upon. The two most common treatments are patching and medication. Patching is simply the covering of the healthy eye which may be needed for a specified span of time which could range from a couple of weeks to a few months to In some cases, as long as a year’s time. The reason the healthy eye is covered is that it automatically forces the affected eye to work on its own and by so doing, it allows for the strengthening of the eyes.

Medication which takes the form of eye ointment or eye drops is sometimes placed in the healthy good eye in order to blur the vision in this eye, which in turn will force the lazy eye to work better. Patching tends to be more successful than any form of medication.

For more information about lazy eye visit these websites-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

http://www.lazyeye.org/

http://www.preventblindness.org/children/amblyopiaFAQ.html