Amblyopia is a condition that occurs in children when one eye has worse vision than the other. If amblyopia is left untreated, a child's vision will not develop correctly. The child's brain, as it matures, will start "ignoring" the image coming from the bad eye. This causes vision in the affected eye to become poor. Because amblyopia can result in permanent vision loss in one eye, it is important to have a child with amblyopia regularly tested by an eye doctor.

What Causes Amblyopia?
Amblyopia usually starts when one eye has much better focus than the other eye. For example, one eye might be very nearsighted or have a lot of astigmatism, while the other does not. When the child's brain is confronted with both a blurry image and a clear image, it will begin to ignore the blurry image. If this goes on for months or years, the vision in the eye that sees the blurry image will deteriorate.

Another cause of amblyopia is called strabismus. Strabismus is an ocular misalignment, meaning that one eye turns inward or outward. This prevents the eyes from focusing together on an image and can cause double vision. In order to combat this, the child's brain generally chooses to ignore the image from the deviated eye, causing the vision in that eye to deteriorate.

Other children cannot see well in one eye because something blocks light from getting through, This could be due, among other causes, to a cataract or a small amount of blood or other material in the back of the eye.

How is Amblyopia Diagnosed?
Your child's optometrist will check three aspects of your child's eye health:
1. That your child's eyes let light all the way through.
2. That both eyes see equally well.
3. That the eyes are moving normally.

All children should be screened before they are school age. Also, if parents notice any crossing of the eyes or are concerned about their child's vision, they should be evaluated promptly. Family history of amblyopia is a risk factor for amblyopia. Parents cannot tell just by looking at their child if they have amblyopia. Early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to the best visual outcome.

How is Amblyopia Treated:
One treatment for amblyopia is to force the brain to start using the "bad" eye by putting a patch over the "good" eye. At first, the child will have a hard time seeing with just the weaker eye. However, it is very important that your child wear the patch diligently because this will eventually improve vision. It can take weeks or months for an eye patch to improve vision.

As the child keeps using only the eye with amblyopia, his or her vision will continue to improve. After the doctor determines that vision is back to normal, your child will not have to wear the patch. Some children may again lose some vision and need to undergo another round of patching. In cases of mild amblyopia, the doctor might recommend using an eye drop called atropine in the "good" eye instead of a patch. Atropine blurs the vision in the "good eye," forcing the "bad" eye to do most of the work while the child is playing with toys, eating, drawing, or reading.

Most children with amblyopia will also need glasses to help focus. If there is something blocking light from getting into the eye, the doctor might recommend surgery to remove the blockage. If strabismus is preventing the eyes from moving together correctly, your doctor may recommend vision training or rarely, surgery on the muscles of the eye. Your doctor will discuss with you what treatment is most appropriate for your child.

What is the Outlook for Children With Amblyopia?
If existing underlying problems are treated and the amblyopia is detected and treated early, most children will gain vision. Because amblyopia becomes much more difficult to treat after about 7-9 years of age, screening is very important. It is important that you follow your doctor's advice about treatment. This can be very difficult, because many children do not want to wear glasses or an eye patch everyday. But with the establishment of atropine as an alternative method of treatment, success is now possible in a larger proportion of children with amblyopia.

Cockrell Eyecare is involved in two programs specifically designed to reduce the incidence of Ambllyopia in the U.S. One program is called "Infant See" and the other is "See to Learn." Both programs involve providing a complimentary vision analysis for two different age groups. Infant See provides a complimentary vision analysis for infants. The best time to bring your infant in is between 6-12 months of age. All testing is objective meaning the infant does not have to participate like an adult would. The testing allows us to evaluate if the infant has any significant findings that could lead to amblyopia. Following the analysis recommendations are made for treatment or proper follow-up. The other program, See to Learn, is for any child that is three years of age. As with Infant See, all testing is complimentary and objective. The child does not have to participate by answering questions. First year statistics gathered by the American Optometric Association show that out of 50,000 infants evaluated, 1 in 14 had a significant visual problem.

If you are interested in having your infant or three year old evaluated, please call our office at 405-372-1715 in Stillwater or 918-762-2573 in Pawnee.