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What is Amblyopia?
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Amblyopia
is decreased vision from lack of use, in a normal anatomical eye.
It is also called Lazy eye.
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When does
Amblyopia develop?
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It
is caused by any condition that affects normal use of the eyes &
visual development.
It has 3 major causes.
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Strabismus/squint:
Strabismus means non aligned eyes. The constantly deviated eye usually
has less vision.
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Refractive
errors: This means that the eye needs glasses to see clearly. The
image formed in the eye with refractive error is out of focus &
this image is ignored by the brain & the eye develops amblyopia.
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Cataract,
ptosis (droopy lids), corneal opacity: These conditions prevent
entry of light into the eye & this leads to amblyopia.
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How is amblyopia
diagnosed?
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A child may
not be aware of having one strong eye & one weak eye,
unless the child has squint or other obvious abnormality.
Amblyopia is detected by finding a difference in vision
between the 2 eyes or poor vision in both eyes. |
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How is amblyopia
treated?
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| To correct amblyopia,
the child must be made to use the weaker eye. This is done by
occlusion treatment. Occlusion means closure of the normal eye
with a patch. |
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If the child has refractive errors, he/she will have to wear
glasses &
if the vision is still less with glasses, will need patching treatment.
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If the child has cataract, he/she will have to undergo surgery,
followed by occlusion treatment. |
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Usually squint is corrected by surgery after the vision in that
eye improves with patching. |
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Occlusion is done from a few hrs to a few days, depending on the
age of the patient & severity of amblyopia. |
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Children on patching will need periodic follow up. |
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Duration of treatment can extend from months to years. |
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If problem is detected & treated early, vision can improve for
most children. Amblyopia caused by strabismus & refractive errors
maybe treated successfully by 9yrs of age. |
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Amblyopia caused by cataract, needs to be detected & treated
extremely early. |
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Children do not like to have their eyes patched. But as a parent,
it is your responsibility to convince your child to do what is best
for him/her.
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