Amblyopia is often known as Lazy Eye or Lazy Vision and is a serious eye condition that affect vision. It occurs when one eye becomes weaker than the other during infancy or childhood. It is because the brain favors the better eye and the weaker eye gets worse over the time. In such cases, the treatment is more effective when started early.
According to the experts, when a child is suffering from amblyopia, one eye has a clear vision while the other one will have a blurred vision. Because of this, the brain slowly begins to ignore the blurry visioned eye and uses only the eye with clear vision. Eventually and gradually, the brain learns to rely on the stronger eye, allowing the weaker eye to worsen.
Amblyopia is the most common reason for blindness in children, which affects 2% to 4% of children through the age of 15 years. In cases, where it is not timely examined and treated in its early phase, it can cause permanent problems.
Conditions that can lead to Amblyopia are
- Refractive Errors
- Strabismus
- Structural Problems
It is best to begin the treatment for amblyopia when the eyes and the brain are still developing connections. All the treatments used in the management and treatment of amblyopia include the brain making the use of weaker eye. The treatment options include.
Eye Patches for Kids –
where the kid is made to wear the eye patch over the better eye forcing the brain to make the use of weaker eye for the vision for at least few hours a day. This treatment can even last for months or years.
Glasses –
These are a common lazy eye treatment, which can help amblyopia by improving near sightedness, far sightedness, and astigmatism.
Eye Drops –
When the case is not that severe or the child is not cooperative for wearing eye patch, the ophthalmologist may suggest eye drops to temporarily blur the vision of the better eye. The basic goal is same as eye patch therapy, to force the brain to use the weaker eye.
Surgery –
This is very rare in condition of amblyopia, unless there are certain causes of amblyopia like cataracts or any other structural problems that need to be solved.
Dichoptics –
Dichoptic training is a promising new therapeutic approach to amblyopia, which employs simultaneous and separate stimulation of both eyes. The contrast for the good eye is reduced thus aiming at a balance with the amblyopic eye.
Occlu Tab Exercises –
It is a device which projects image to only one eye using Polaroid glasses while the child is playing interesting games on tablet.
Oral Medications –
In certain non-responding cases, pediatric ophthalmologist may prescribe citicholine tablets, which according to latest research seems to improve amblyopia.
Aksha Eye Hospital is equipped with all latest technology and devices to provide a holistic case based approach to fight amblyopia from the early age.