Amblyopia is poor vision in an eye
that did not
develop normal sight in early childhood.
It is sometimes
called "lazy eye." The condition is
common, affecting 2 out
of every 100 people. For this reason, it
is recommended
that every child has a vision check
before the fourth
birthday.
Diagnosis
The
condition is detected by
finding a difference in vision between
the two eyes. Since
it is difficult to measure vision in young
children, your
ophthalmologist often watches how
well a baby follows
objects with one eye when the other is
covered.
Treatment
To correct
amblyopia, a child
must be made to use the weak eye.
This is usually done
by patching or covering the strong eye,
often for weeks or
months. Glasses may be prescribed to
correct focusing
errors, but if they alone do not improve
vision, then
patching may be necessary.
Last Updated: December 03, 2007
