Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, occurs because the brain ignores one of the eyes. This causes the eye to wander and is the most common cause of monocular vision impairment in adults. Lazy eye can be effectively treated, using eye patches or other methods, if the condition gets detected early in life.
Causes
Amblyopia can result because of any condition which affects vision in one eye more strongly than the other, MayoClinic.com explains. The most common cause of amblyopia includes strabismus, which occurs when the eye muscles become imbalanced. This causes the eyes to naturally turn inward or outward and keeps the eyes from tracking objects in unison. Sometimes an anatomical problem, such as problems with the retina or a clouded lens can also lead to amblyopia. If one eye is much more astigmatic, near- or far-sighted than the other, the patient may also develop amblyopia.
Mechanism
The brain remains responsible for translating nerve signals from the eyes into vision. If vision becomes much stronger in one of the eyes, the brain will gradually tune out that eye's input, Optometrists Network explains. This can also happen for patients with strabismus; because both eyes are not able to focus on the same object, the brain will become accustomed to only focusing on signals from on of the eyes. Early in a child's life the brain continues to develop. However, if the brain becomes accustomed to ignoring the signals from one of the eyes, once the brain has stop developing the affected eye will be permanently ignored.
Diagnosis
As amblyopia progresses, the affected eye will stop moving along with the stronger eye. This may make one eye appear to turn outward--also known as a lazy eye, and can also make the eyes not move in concert. Early diagnosis of this condition remains important because of the necessity of treating the problem early in life. Visual acuity tests, which are more complex than the standard 20/20 vision charts used for diagnosing other visual disorders prove necessary to catch this condition early, Optometrists Network explains.
Eye Patching
Eye patching provides one common treatment for amblyopia, the National Eye Institute explains. This treatment works by placing an opaque patch over the patient's stronger eye. This forces the brain to interpret visual signals from the weaker eye, which forces the brain to develop neurons which are dedicated to interpreting the weaker eye's signals.
Administration
Eye patching requires the child to wear a patch for part or all of each day. This process may continue for weeks or months, until the child's vision stops improving, FamilyDoctor.org explains. It was once thought that patients over the age of ten could not benefit from eye patch treatment. However, more recent studies, the National Eye Institute explains, have shown that children between the ages of seven and seventeen can still benefit from eye patching.
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