AMBLYOPIA / LAZY EYE

   Amblyopia is poor development of vision in one eye. It is seen in 0.4% of the population. It can be treated only in early childhood (up to 8 years of age) so early check up of eye at 4-5 years should be done.

Vision is not fully developed in newborn baby. It develops gradually till 8 years of age. However if one eye is not used vision of the eye will not develop fully. This is amblyopia or lazy eye.

Causes

Abnormalities that prevent normal use of one eye will lead to amblyopia such as:

	Crossed eye or Squint.
	High power in one eye.
	Eye diseases such as Cataract – which leads to blurred vision, if not operated in time will lead to amblyopia.

Early check up by the ophthalmologist will help to detect the disease which normally goes unnoticed as one eye is seeing well.

Treatment 

The cause of amblyopia is treated first followed by stimulation of lazy eye. Closing healthy eye and forcing weak eye to see does this. It takes time and child is not interested in patching or closing one eye. It can only be treated by marked parental involvement. School screening is best way to detect amblyopia in children.