Amblyopia is a vision development disorder that can be detected during early childhood by booking an eye exam for your child. Some of the symptoms of the disorder can be more difficult to detect, which is why a comprehensive eye exam is the best precaution.

Symptoms

It’s important to know what to look for in order to provide treatment as early as possible. One of the most common symptoms is crossed eyes. If you begin to notice that your baby or young child has crossed eyes, make sure to book an eye exam for further examination.

Causes

There are three different types of Amblyopia, and each of them have different causes.

  • Strabismic amblyopia: This is the most common type of Amblyopia. This happens when the brain ignores visual input from the misaligned eye in order to avoid double vision.
  • Refractive amblyopia: This happens when one eye has a vision problem and the other eye does not (nearsightedness or farsightedness, astigmatism). When this happens, the brain relies on the stronger eye and ignores the blurry vision from the other eye. This will cause amblyopia from underuse of the eye.
  • Deprivation amblyopia. This type is caused by something that blocks light from entering a baby’s eye, such as a congenital cataract.

 

Diagnosis

Amblyopia will not naturally heal itself with time. An untreated lazy eye can lead to long-term vision problems. Early diagnosis can help in delivering better treatment and visual development for your child.

Treatment

After conducting an eye exam at Laurier Optical, your optometrist will be able to determine which option is best. Depending on the type of amblyopia, there are many different treatment methods available.

  • Glasses and Contact Lenses

You can correct vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism in both eyes with glasses or lenses. This will help to even out your child’s vision and correct symptoms of amblyopia.

  • Eye Patch

Placing a patch on the stronger eye will force your child’s brain to use the visual input from the weaker eye and help that eye develop to its full potential.

  • Prosthetic Contact Lens

Especially with younger children, it can be hard for them to keep an eye patch on for long periods of time. The prosthetic contact lens is a good alternative that will keep the light out of your child’s good eye and force the weaker eye to develop.

Remember that early detection is the best solution! Book an eye exam at Laurier Optical for your child today.