Lazy eye, medically termed amblyopia, is a visual disorder in children that generally develops during birth up to the age of seven years.
Poor vision develops when there is a breakdown between how the brain and eye work together. It usually happens only in one eye, but in some cases, it occurs in both. The term lazy eye does not mean that the person dealing with it is lazy, but it is because those people cannot control how their eyes work. As per reports, almost 3 out of 100 kids face amblyopia. Let us look at its causes and symptoms.
Causes of Lazy Eye Disorder
Lazy eye disorder happens during childhood when the brain focuses more on one eye instead of both. This means that if any condition in one eye makes the vision bad, then the brain will automatically start relying only on the stronger eye and turn off its signals from the weaker eye.
Eye conditions that can lead kids to amblyopia or lazy eye disorder are:
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Strabismus: It is a misalignment in kids’ eyes. In this case, the eyes don’t line up together, and one of them drifts up, down, left, or right.
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Refractive Errors: These are common eyesight problems like near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or astigmatism. Usually, these problems are prevented by using powered glasses or eye lenses. But if not taken care of in time, this can lead to bigger problems.
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Cataract: This occurs when the lens of the eye becomes a little hazy or cloudy, which eventually results in blurry vision. Not only elderly people but kids can also develop cataracts.
Symptoms of Lazy Eye Disorder
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Squinting or shutting off an eye.
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Kids dealing with amblyopia might have problems in telling how far or near an object is.
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Poor depth perception.
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Eyes that appear not aligning together.
Treatment of Lazy Eye Disorder
Once detected early, the problem of lazy eye can be solved. This includes:
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Eye drops
A drop of Atropine drugs makes the vision of the stronger eye blurry, which forces the brain to focus on the weaker eye. This method is quite easy. However, the eye drops should be used as per a specialist’s prescription only.
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Wearing an eye patch
Wearing a stick on an eye patch on the stronger eye will lead the brain to focus more on the weaker eye, which can eventually strengthen its vision. In worst cases, kids need to wear an eye patch throughout the day. Otherwise, wearing them for 2 hours is sufficient.
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Wear-powered glasses and lenses
To correct vision problems, suitable eyeglasses or contact lenses must be used to ensure both eyes get clear vision.
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Eye exercises
Consult an ophthalmologist for eye exercises to improve eyesight and vision.
The Bottomline
A lazy eye, if not treated in time, can lead to permanent damage to the eyes and can also affect the kid’s ability to read, write, and carry out daily tasks.
