Amblyopia is an early childhood condition where the childs vision does not develop properly. It usually occurs in one eye, but it can occur in both eyes. Sometimes referred to as lazy eye, amblyopia affects about 1 in 25 children. A baby is able to see as soon as it is born, and vision continues to develop up until around the age of seven or eight. After this, no further development occurs until sight deteriorates with age, or after eye injury or disease.

In Amblyopia due to various causes the development of vision does not progress to its completion, and if remedial measures are not taken till a critical age of approximately 8 years the loss of vision is usually permanent in the child.

If your child has amblyopia she/he does not receive and send clear images. This means that your child is unable to focus properly with one of their eyes. However, the other eye will often make up for the problems in the affected eye, resulting in the affected eye becoming lazy.

There are a number of different eye disorders that can cause amblyopia including:

The condition involves a squint (strabismus) in one eye, which is noticeable because the eyes look in different directions.

Anisometropic amblyopia is where a refractive error (spectacle power) and there is a difference of refraction in each eye.

Ametropic amblyopia is a reduction in the vision of both eyes. It usually occurs when a child has large, uncorrected refractive errors (spectacle power).

Stimulus deprivation amblyopia is the rarest form of amblyopia, but it is often the most severe. It is caused when one or both eyes are prevented from seeing.

Ideally, amblyopia needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, preferably before the age of six. However, it can be difficult to know if a child has a lazy eye because they often do not realise there is anything wrong with their vision. Therefore, it is often not diagnosed until your child has their first eye test. Children should usually be given a routine eye examination before they start school. This means that if a child has amblyopia, it is possible to diagnose and treat the condition before it is too late.

Amblyopia is treated by an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) and an orthoptist (a specialist in childhood eye problems).

The two main treatment options for amblyopia are:

Treating, or correcting, any underlying eye problems, and

Making the affected eye work so that vision can develop properly

A number of different treatments options can be used in order to make the affected eye work. These include:

Using a patch (also known as occulusion A patch is placed over the good eye so that the lazy eye is forced to work. The length of time the child will need to wear the patch will depend on how old they are, and how serious the problem is. Most children will need to wear the patch for a few hours a day for several weeks. While the patch is on, the child should do close-up activities, such as colouring, reading or schoolwork. Patches can be worn with glasses.

Eye drops - atropine eye drops can be used to blur the vision in the good eye. They should be used once a day.

Eye surgery - if the condition is caused by another problem, such as a squint or a cataract, surgery may be needed. Patch treatment may also be used after the operation.

Vision therapy is sometimes used to help your childs vision to develop. It involves using exercises and games that require your child to use their affected eye.