According to the National Eye Institute, amblyopia is the leading cause of eye problems in children and affects 2 percent to 3 percent of all kids. Also called lazy eye, amblyopia is easily treated and completely curable if caught early, but may lead to lifelong visual problems if left uncorrected.
Biology
Amblyopia is a defect in the way the eye and brain communicate that results in the brain favoring one eye over the other. When this occurs, the favored eye grows stronger at the expense of the weaker eye. A child with amblyopia may lose the ability to make out fine detail. When the brain stops growing sometime between the ages of 8 to 10 years old, the ability to correct this problem is lost, and it may become a permanent problem that will persist into adulthood, explains the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Symptoms
Parents may notice signs of amblyopia when they observe their child's eyes. If his eyes turn in or out, that can be a sign of amblyopia. Eyes that fail to track in sync and appear to be working independently of each other may be another sign. Children with amblyopia may also have difficulty with depth perception. An ophthalmologist, an eye doctor, can typically spot signs of amblyopia, and pediatricians may even notice signs of it.
Causes
According to Medline Plus, in most cases of amblyopia, the underlying cause is strabismus, a condition in which the eyes do not focus the same way because the muscles controlling the two eyes are not in sync. This can be a turning out of the eyes or a turning in, often referred to as cross eye. Astigmatism that occurs in both eyes can be another cause of amblyopia. Vision problems such as farsightedness and nearsightedness may also lead to the condition. Other causes include droopy eyelids, abnormal eye shape or size, childhood cataracts or a defective retina.
Treatment
Children who develop amblyopia are typically treated using methods to try and make the weaker eye stronger. The two main ways of doing this are with an eye patch or eye drops. Eye patches are worn on the stronger eye for a set period of time, which can range from weeks to months depending on the degree of correction necessary. Alternately, special eye drops made of a drug called atropine that causes blurring in the eye can be used in place of the patch.
Importance
Treating amblyopia early is extremely important because the effectiveness of treatment diminishes as a child gets older. Leaving amblyopia untreated can lead to a permanent loss of vision in one eye, problems with depth perception and issues with the musculature of the eyes that may require surgery later in life. Treating the problem before age 5 generally results in a complete cure with no lingering effects.
