Understanding Amblyopia: Causes and Symptoms

Having amblyopia (“lazy eye”) shouldn’t make you feel hopeless. In fact, this is an eye condition that can be addressed infancy or childhood, with the help of a reliable eye doctor. Here’s a closer look at this vision development disorder.

Three Causes of Amblyopia

Amblyopia causes reduced vision due to abnormal development of the neural connections between the brain and the eyes. There are three causes of amblyopia: strabismus, unequal refractive errors and congenital cataracts. Strabismus or misaligned eye is the most common cause of lazy eye. Since both eyes aren’t pointed in the same direction, the brain receives two different image signals, forcing it to ignore those sent by the weaker eye. Unequal refractive errors in the eyes can also result in amblyopia. This can occur despite perfect eye alignment. Lastly, deprivation amblyopia is common when a child has a congenital cataract, which obstructs the light from entering the eyes.

Signs and Symptoms

Amblyopia is easy to detect, especially if you pay attention to your child’s eye alignment. If you notice that one of your child’s eyes is out of focus, schedule an appointment with your optometrist. Another way to find out if a child may have amblyopia is their reaction when you cover one of their eyes.

Amblyopia Management

A visit to an eye clinic will allow you to manage this problem and prevent compounding eyesight problems. Your eye care specialist may suggest wearing an eye patch on the good eye for a period of time. This forces the brain to acknowledge the visual signals from the weaker eye. Your optometrist may also suggest performing eye exercises to stimulate the affected eye’s development.

Turn to Vienna Eyecare Center for amblyopia diagnosis and treatment. We also offer high-quality eyeglasses and other vision correction techniques.  Call us today at (703) 938-7633. We serve residents of Vienna, Reston and McLean, VA.