Be careful of lazy eyes (amblyopia) in children

Amblyopia (lazy eye) is poor vision ability in one or both eyes caused by defects in normal vision development during childhood, which can cause lifelong conditions or lack of clarity of vision due to imperfect vision development in the brain. The human brain needs visual stimulation to fully develop. During a child's development from birth to age 8, anything that blocks or interferes with clear vision can cause amblyopia.

Astigmatism (abnormal curvature of the cornea or lens of the eye), hyperopia (farsightedness) and myopia (farsightedness), crossed eyes (strabismus), or anything that blocks the visual axis of one eye (e.g. eyelids) are all causes of lazy eyes. (descending eye, pediatric cataract). Lazy eye (amblyopia) usually affects only one eye, but if both eyes lack good and clear visuals for a prolonged period, the condition can occur in both eyes. Early diagnosis increases the chances of successful treatment because, after the age of 8 years, visual impairment can become permanent. On the other hand, if your child does not develop amblyopia until the age of 8, then the chances of developing amblyopia are very small.

Children with amblyopia usually do not complain of poor vision, so this problem is sometimes only discovered when the vision of both eyes is examined (for example, during an eye test at school). Sometimes, parents notice that their child's eyes are crossed (strabismus) when one eye appears out of line with the other.

A child is at higher risk of developing lazy eye if he or she has nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia), a large difference in the size of the glasses from one eye to another, or visual impairment due to birth defects such as drooping eyelids, cataracts, or eye injuries. and crossed eyes (eyes that are not parallel).

The types of treatment that must be carried out if a child has a lazy eye are: First, if there is an abnormality in the size of the glasses, the child needs to be given appropriate glasses to be used all the time. Then, the child needs to be encouraged to use the lazy eye. This is usually done by patching or closing the good eye, usually for a few hours each day. Treatment may take several months or even years and is often more effective when started at an early age. If lazy eye is detected too late (for example, after age 8 years), there is a chance that the visual damage cannot be cured. This is why it is so important to have your child's eyes checked by an ophthalmologist.