Amblyopia or "Lazy Eye" Amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, occurs when the eyes do not develop properly. This results in seeing poorly out of one or both eyes. Amblyopia is the most common cause of visual impairment in both children and young adults, affecting about 3% of the population.

• Symptoms of amblyopia
It is hard to spot amblyopia. Parents often do not realize than anything is wrong with their child s eyes until they are told about it by their doctor. Sometimes a child will noticeably favor one eye over the other or bump into things on one side. The best way to tell if your child has amblyopia is through a comprehensive eye exam at ages six months, three years, five years, and then annually. Early diagnosis can prevent amblyopia from leading to more serious problems, such as loss of the ability to see three dimensions or functional blindness in the amblyopic eye.

• Types of amblyopia
In general, amblyopia is caused by a lack of seeing well while the eyes are developing during infancy and early childhood. There are several types of amblyopia, each of them is a different way that one or both eyes does not see clearly during the developmental period. This blur is so significant that the brain does not learn to see correctly.

-Refractive Amblyopia is caused when a baby or young child has high or unequal amounts of far-sightedness, near-sightedness, or astigmatism and they do not get glasses or contact lenses to treat it when they are young. The extreme blur does not allow the connections between the eye and brain to properly develop.

-Strabismic Amblyopia is caused when a baby or young child has one eye that is constantly turned in, out, up or down. The turned eye is shut off or not used, and therefore does not develop vision properly.

-Deprivation Amblyopia is caused when a baby or young child has a condition that is blocking vision out of one or both eyes, such as a cataract or droopy eye lid, and the lack of visual stimulation stops the development of the visual centers in the brain.

• How to treat amblyopia?
The best way to decrease amblyopia in the population is prevention. The American Optometric Association recommends comprehensive eye evaluations, in addition to pediatrician well-visits, at ages 6 months, 3 years, 5 years, and every year while the child is in school. Because of the importance of early detection for vision and ocular health conditions, many optometrists are providers for the InfantSEE program www.infantsee.org, which provides a complimentary comprehensive vision and ocular health evaluation for children less than 12 months of age.

Amblyopia will not go away on its own. Although treating amblyopia during the critical period before seven years of age gives the chances of the best possible vision, treatment of some types of amblyopia can take place at any age. However, the length of the treatment period increases dramatically the older the patient is. Research has also demonstrated that patients with amblyopia are more likely to sustain injuries resulting in the loss of their good eye than individuals with two good eyes.

Management is dependent on the type of amblyopia that is present. If the child has refractive amblyopia, treatment starts with glasses or contact lenses in the correct prescription. Deprivation amblyopia must be treated during the first few months of life and starts with removing the occlusion (taking out the cataract, surgically raising the lid). Treatment of all types often includes patching the eye with better vision or putting dilating drops in the better eye. Treatment can take weeks or months. This corrects amblyopia by training the brain to use visual signals from the eye with weaker vision, building a stronger connection between the brain and the weak eye, and allowing vision to develop normally in that eye. Patching is most effective in conjunction with an active vision therapy program .

Eye Institute Amblyopia Resource Guide