A lazy eye (Amblyopia) is a decrease in vision due to a visual development disorder seen in early childhood. Amblyopia begins in infancy and early childhood. It continues until the age of 11, which is the end of the critical period in eye development. The critical period in eye development is between the ages of 0-11, and this time interval is the period when amblyopia can be seen. In most cases, only one eye is affected. But in some cases, a lazy eye can occur in both eyes with decreased visual acuity. If lazy eye is detected early in life and treated properly, decreased vision can be prevented. But if left untreated, a lazy eye can cause permanent vision loss in the eye.

What is the Cause of Lazy Eye?

• Strabismic Amblyopia: Strabismus (strabismus) is one of the causes of lazy eye. To avoid double vision caused by deviated eyes, the brain ignores the visual input from the deviating eye, thus causing amblyopia in that eye.
• Anisometropic Amblyopia: In some cases, amblyopia is caused by unequal refractive errors in both eyes, although there is no strabismus. In such cases, the brain relies on the less uncorrected refractive good eye and disables the other eye due to blurred vision in the eye, thus causing amblyopia in the unused eye. This type of lazy eye is called anisometric amblyopia.
• Deprivation Amblyopia: This lazy eye is caused by organic causes that cause the image of the object not to be focused on the visual center. Congenital cataracts or droopy eyelids (ptosis) can be given as examples. These diseases should be treated immediately in order to ensure normal vision development and to prevent lazy eyes.

Lazy Eye Treatments

Treatment options, in order;

• Closure: It is one of the most important treatment procedures.
• Penalization or drug therapy: It is an alternative method to closure in cases where closure is not performed.
• CAM treatment: It is done with special devices.
• Neurovision therapy: It is done with a computer software program.