May 15, 2012. Bill Szydlowski
Lazy eye, or amblyopia, is a medical condition where vision is diminished in one eye. This condition is unlike near or farsightedness, and is totally different from astigmatism.
Amblyopia has two forms: amblyopia or toxic amblyopia. Amblyopias oftentimes happen in children who suffer from strabismus where the eyes are not properly lined up. During strabismus, the brain alleviates the double vision by shutting one eye down; hence one eye becomes the “lazy eye”. Despite the fact that symptoms may not be readily visible, the inner structure of the lazy eye may stagnate or atrophy. Unfortunately, it is already too late when the symptoms appear in most cases. After the symptoms come out, permanent damage has already affected the eye. Some symptoms you can look out for are as follows: one eye may turn inward or outward, making it appear that the eyes are not looking at the same direction.
Treatment of the lazy eye condition can come in various processes. The first priority is to correct the misalignment of the eyes, and this can be done using corrective glasses or an eye patch. The eye patch’s role is to disable the good eye temporarily, making the lazy eye work. In a fair amount of time, this method allows for binocular vision. However some people especially don’t have the constant vigilance of wearing these patches. Thankfully, you can also use atropine drops. A drop on the good eye once a day blurs its vision, forcing the lazy eye to use its capabilities.
A popular choice nowadays is to go for corrective eye surgery. However many doctors argue that this does not truly fix the problem since it’s the brain that is actually deciding to make one eye lazy and no procedure can force the brain to unlearn this habit. There can also be cosmetic fixes wherein the eye can be repositioned but this does not truly address the underlying visual problem. Still in some cases, surgery can be successful especially if the underlying problem is a fundamental physical condition like in strabismus. Lasik surgery can fix the muscle disorder involved in this, eventually correcting the lazy eye condition. Still, it would be best if the brain is trained to use the lazy eye as this will be the ultimate solution for the condition.
Visit optical express voucher for more information on the lazy eye condition.
Updated May 15, 2012. Published April 7, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
