Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, occurs when the brain and the eye don't work together properly, according to the National Eye Institute. Normal vision occurs when signals from both eyes travel down the optic nerve to be interpreted by the brain. In amblyopia, one eye is weaker than the other, perhaps because it is crossed or has some other vision problem, so the brain favors the strong eye. Over time, it loses the ability to interpret the signal from the weaker eye, and vision in the weak eye is permanently lost. Amblyopia can be treated by forcing the brain to use the weaker eye so that the brain must learn to work with it properly. This usually works best in young children but recent research suggests that children as old as 17 can benefit, according to the National Eye Institute.
Medication
Sometimes doctors use a few drops of atropine in the strong eye to blur the vision for a few hours each day so that the brain will be forced to use the weaker eye, according to the National Eye Institute. This helps stimulate vision in the weaker eye and teaches the brain to process images coming from the weaker eye properly so that normal vision can develop. A recent National Eye Institute study found that medication works as well as patching.
Eye Patches
An eye patch is worn over the strong eye for weeks to months to force the child to use the weaker eye, according to the National Eye Institute. Like drug treatment, this strengthens the weaker eye and teaches the brain to process images from it properly. A National Eye Institute study has recently found that patching the eye for just two hours a day instead of the usual six may work just as well.
Eyeglasses
Sometimes amblyopia is caused by common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, according to Mayo Clinic. In that case, the doctor will prescribe glasses or contact lenses to treat the underlying vision problem. In some cases, that's all that's needed to teach the brain to process vision from the weak eye properly. Also, eyeglasses or contacts are sometimes used to blur vision in the strong eye instead of a patch or drugs, according to Prevent Blindness America.
Surgery
A common cause of lazy eye is an imbalance in the muscles that position the eyes, which can lead to a crossed eye or other difficulties focusing both eyes together properly on an object, according to Mayo Clinic. If this occurs, the child may need surgery on the eye muscles to help the eyes track together properly. Amblyopia can also be caused by problems with the eyelids or cataracts that may need to be corrected with surgery.
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