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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. |
| 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. |
| If the child
has cataract, he/she will have to undergo surgery, followed
by occlusion treatment. |
| Usually
squint is corrected by surgery after the vision in that
eye improves with patching. |
| 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. |
| 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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