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Amblyopia

Amblyopia, commonly referred to as lazy eye, is a disorder characterized by a loss or lack of development of vision in one eye that is not caused by injury or disease and is not correctable with eyeglass lenses.

Amblyopia usually develops before the age of six, and early detection can increase chances for successful treatment of the eye.

Symptoms of amblyopia may include a child noticeably favoring one eye, or having a tendency to bump into objects on one side. These symptoms however, are not always obvious, so it is important to have proper vision screening by your pediatrician or family doctor with referral to University Eye Specialists, P.C. if there is any question of abnormal eyesight.

Common causes of amblyopia are: Strabismus (turning of one eye), anisometropia (different vision/prescriptions in each eye), and/or blockage of an eye due to trauma. If one eye sees clearly and the other sees a blur, the good eye and brain will inhibit (block, suppress, ignore) the eye with the blur. This process can result in a permanent decrease in the vision in that eye.

Treatment may include prescription lenses, eye patching or drops. These treatments may be used in combination to strengthen vision in the suppressed eye and train the eyes to work together.