Amblyopia
Not yet clinically reviewed
This protocol was migrated from the earlier Pharmapedia and Ward Guide apps for educational use. Follow your hospital's own policies and consult seniors when in doubt.
Introduction
Amblyopia (also called lazy eye) is a type of poor vision that happens in just 1 eye. It develops when there’s a breakdown in how the brain and the eye work together, and the brain can’t recognize the sight from 1 eye. Over time, the brain relies more and more on the other, stronger eye — while vision in the weaker eye gets worse.It’s called “lazy eye” because the stronger eye works better. But people with amblyopia are not lazy, and they can’t control the way their eyes work.
Symptoms
Symptoms of amblyopia can be hard to notice. Kids with amblyopia may have poor depth perception — they have trouble telling how near or far something is. Parents may also notice signs that their child is struggling to see clearly, like:
- Squinting
- Shutting 1 eye
- Tilting their head
Management
If there’s a vision problem causing amblyopia, the doctor may treat that first. For example, doctors may recommend glasses or contacts (for kids who are nearsighted or farsighted) or surgery (for kids with cataract).The next step is to re-train the brain and force it to use the weaker eye. The more the brain uses it, the stronger it gets. Treatments include:
Wearing an eye patch on the stronger eye.
By covering up this eye with a stick-on eye patch (similar to a Band-Aid), the brain has to use the weaker eye to see. Some kids only need to wear the patch for 2 hours a day, while others may need to wear it whenever they're awake.
Putting special eye drops in the stronger eye.
A once-a-day drop of the drug atropine can temporarily blur near vision, which forces the brain to use the other eye. For some kids, this treatment works as well as an eye patch, and some parents find it easier to use (for example, because young children may try to pull off eye patches).