When an eye is unable to focus as well as its counterpart, it is often called amblyopia or lazy eye. This condition often starts during infancy or early childhood and it may need more to correct it than eyeglasses or contact lenses. Taking your young child in for regular visits with your eye doctor in Eldersburg, MD, may help the prognosis of this condition.
Causes
There are three common causes of amblyopia that your doctor may tell you about at your Eldersburg eye exams:
- Obstruction: Part of your infant’s vision may be obstructed by a congenital cataract. This is called deprivation amblyopia.
- Misalignment: Eyes that are unable to work together may lead the brain to ignore one eye. This is called strabismic amblyopia.
- Unequal Refraction: One eye may have significant astigmatism, farsightedness or nearsightedness while the other does not. This is called refractive amblyopia.
It is important to know what caused the lazy eye in order to figure out the best course of treatment.
Treatment
Chances are your optometrist in Eldersburg will have a treatment plan regardless of the type of amblyopia your child is suffering from. The treatment is different for each kind:
- Deprivation Amblyopia: The congenital cataracts have to be removed as soon as possible to assure the eyes are able to develop at the same pace.
- Strabismic Amblyopia: Strabismus eye surgery puts the eyes back into alignment. After the surgery, a patch has to be worn over the good eye and your child may have to go to vision therapy.
- Refractive Amblyopia: This may also require patching if the eyeglasses do not help correct the refractive error early enough.
Your optometrist may be able to give you other treatment options as well.
Early Detection
Like with many other eye issues, early detection is a key part in the treatment of amblyopia. Without seeing your eye doctor in Eldersburg, MD, this condition could lead to partial blindness. If you have any concerns about your child’s vision, be sure to talk with your optometrist promptly.