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The Aiello Eye Institute offers treatment for the correction of amblyopia or "lazy eye" in Yuma, Arizona. Amblyopia is a disorder that occurs in early childhood, resulting in poor or dim vision. It is the most common cause of vision problems in children. It occurs when the visual information sent to the brain, which is normally transmitted via the optic nerve, fails to transmit or is transmitted incorrectly for an uninterrupted period. This confuses the brain which, over time, will learn to ignore the images from the weaker eye. While laymen refer to this condition as "lazy eye," the term is inaccurate – as there is no "laziness" in the eye itself.
If you have amblyopia and are considering treatment, we encourage you to contact us today. Request an appointment online or call (928) 782-1980 for an eye examination or to learn more.
The most common cause of amblyopia is strabismus, a misalignment of the eyes. Other causes are childhood cataracts and farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism, especially when it only occurs in one eye.
With milder forms, some children are not even aware of the condition until an eye doctor tells them that they have it, usually when they are older. With more severe cases, the following may be noted:
An eye care specialist can diagnose amblyopia with a simple eye exam. In fact, diagnostic testing is rarely required.
If there is a treatable underlying cause for the condition, such as cataracts, that condition should be addressed first. Amblyopia caused by refractive errors is usually treated with eye glasses. Treatment is aimed at making the child use the weak eye, and therefore, a patch or eye drops are often used on the "good" eye to treat the condition.
Children who are treated early (before the age of 5) will usually recover almost completely but may still have some difficulty with depth perception. Delaying vision can result in permanent vision problems so it is important to have children evaluated early if you suspect a vision problem!
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