Lazy Eye: What is it? Patching isn’t the only treatment option
“Lazy Eye,” or Amblyopia, is easy to miss because there are very few symptoms. Amblyopia means that the eye sees poorly, even with eyeglasses. Usually when parents see an eye that doesn’t seem to line up correctly, they think that is a “lazy eye.” In fact, that is a condition called an eye turn, or Strabismus. It is important for parents to understand that while Amblyopia and strabismus often occur together, you won’t always see an eye wander off when your child has Amblyopia.
Some early childhood symptoms that might indicate that there is a problem include difficulty in catching or hitting a ball. Another symptom is if your child has difficulty seeing 3D movies. Being able to see 3D is not just a fun thing to do in the movies, it is important for everyday life. As an example, we use 3-dimensional vision to ride a bicycle, walk downstairs, play sports and for all activities that require eye-hand coordination. If your child always knocks over the milk at the dinner table, is clumsy or has sloppy handwriting, these could also be signs of a vision problem.
Treatment for Amblyopia is different depending on which doctor you see. Some will tell you that nothing can be done after age 7 or 9. However, new research is confirming what we have known for years; thanks to Optometric Vision Therapy, it is never too late to treat Amblyopia! It is definitely true that the earlier Amblyopia and other vision conditions are diagnosed, the easier they are to treat and manage. But, even adults well into their 40’s and older can often benefit from Vision Therapy.
As a parent it is important to educate yourself on ALL treatment options because children do not outgrow eye turns or Amblyopia (“lazy eye”). When Amblyopia is due to an eye turn, surgery is not the only way to treat it and there are more effective treatment options for Amblyopia other than patching alone (with or without drops). While the conventional approach to treating Amblyopia includes patching the eye that sees better for long periods of time, we are able to treat it with minimal to no patching.
Optometric Vision Therapy has helped many patients achieve normal vision in their amblyopic eye and has also resulted in eyes that are straight without the need for surgery! Vision Therapy gets excellent results no matter how old the patient is.
If you or your child has been diagnosed with Amblyopia, be sure to schedule an appointment with Dr. Peace.
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