How to Diagnose Your Child Has A Lazy Eye

Amblyopia or lazy eye usually causes blurred vision in just one eye which contributes to poor double vision and depth perception. It is a sign of poor vision development and affects a child’s ability to see in three dimensions. 

Basically, an eye which has amblyopia can be called an amblyopic or a lazy eye.

Amblyopia commonly develops in infancy and early childhood. It may be result of other eye conditions such as crossed eye or squint. Or, it can occur due to unequal vision in the two eyes caused by astigmatism, farsightedness or nearsightedness.

The images the lazy eye sends to the brain are ignored (suppressed). As a result, only the better eye is used for sight by the brain. 

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So, as a Parent how to watch out for symptoms of Lazy Eye in your child? 

As a parent you may miss the symptoms of a lazy eye for a long time. That's largely because the condition usually affects one of your child’s eyes. However, here are a few signs to watch out for: 

Firstly, watch your child’s eyes as he/she focuses on an object. If your child is using one eye more to focus on objects or if you notice lack of coordination between the two eyes, it could indicate lazy eye. 

Secondly, evaluate your child’s depth perception. If your child fails/fumbles to grab an object that you hold mid-air, this could indicate lazy eye symptom.  

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Lastly, if you notice your child’s eyes cross frequently, this might be a sign of eye problem too.  

If you notice any of these problems, seek an appointment and get your child's eyes examined by an experienced paediatric ophthalmologist. 

There are different ways to treat an amblyopic eye, although the treatment is more successful when vision is still developing before the age of 7 or 8 years. Unfortunately, treatment of amblyopia in later years may get little tricky hence it is important that squints or refractive amblyopia are picked up during early years of a child. If not treated, loss of vision can occur in the lazy eye. 

Treatments 

 A key to successful treatment of lazy eye is to encourage its use as much  possible. 

• Corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses can sometimes encourage the use of the lazy eye by providing it with the clear vision.
  
• Occlusion therapy or the use of patch on the good eye can also force the use of the lazy eye. In addition, doing near visual activities with the occlusion, such as reading, using a computer, and playing games, will stimulate greater use of the lazy eye. All of these approaches are used to treat children with lazy eye
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• Certain visual activities and exercises also help to improve vision in patients with lazy eye. They stimulate the eye-brain connection and force the lazy eye to be more active. 

For Lazy Eye Treatment Visit http://www.sharpsight.in or Call +91-30051818