Lazy Eye

If you use the term "amblyopia," few people will know what you mean. But if you say, "lazy eye," many people will begin to get the picture. Amblyopia and lazy eye are one in the same - a condition in which vision does not develop normally in early childhood.

Lazy eye occurs in 2 percent to 3 percent of the population, and susceptibility to lazy eye may be inherited. Usually, only one eye becomes "lazy." The actual cause of lazy eye can be anything that affects normal use of the eyes in early childhood. Misaligned or crossed eyes, known as strabismus, can cause amblyopia, because the eye that is crossing begins working poorly to avoid double vision. In this case, the un-crossed eye focuses well and becomes dominant while the crossed eye loses vision. Unequal focus (being extremely far-sighted or near-sighted in one or both eyes) can also lead to amblyopia, as the weaker eye literally shuts itself off. Cloudiness in the clear portion of the eye due to a cataract can also lead to lazy eye.

Lazy eye can be difficult for parents to notice. Your pediatrician should examine your child's eyes at every visit and will use different types of screening tests, depending on your child's age. It is essential that lazy eye be treated while the child is still young, before vision development is complete at about age 9. The earlier treatment begins, the better the results.

Treatment involves having the child use the weaker eye, either by prescribing eyeglasses or a patch to cover the good eye. Sometimes surgery may become necessary to treat the cause of lazy eye. But treatment to correct the condition still includes using glasses or a patch covering the stronger eye.

What to Do

Make sure your child is seen regularly by a pediatrician and ask the doctor if the child seems to be seeing normally. Call your child's doctor if your child's eyes appear crossed or misaligned in any way; if your child seems to focus more with one eye, following objects with that eye alone; or if your child develops cataracts, or clouding of an eye's lens.

Self-care Steps for Lazy Eye

• If your child must wear a patch or cover, it's important that he or she uses it for as long as the doctor recommends (several weeks or months).