Vision loss in children due to 'lazy eye'

MANILA, Philippines - Does your child squint or tilt his head when watching television or does he appear to have misaligned or crossed eyes? Does he complain of blurry vision or does he see double? If you answer yes to any one of these questions, have your child examined by an eye doctor.

Amblyopia or what is commonly referred to as “lazy eye” is a decrease in the child’s vision caused by an abnormality, which hinders the normal use of the eyes and development of vision.

The brain and eyes do not work properly together and one or both eyes send a blurry image to the brain. The brain gets used to seeing only blurry objects with the weaker eye while the normal or stronger eye does all the work. In time, the weaker eye becomes “lazy” or amblyopic from lack of use.

Dr. Joanne Bolinao, pediatric ophthalmologist at the American Eye Center, said amblyopia is one of the common causes of vision problems in children.

“It is estimated that about four percent of the general population has amblyopia. If left untreated, the sight in the ‘lazy eye’ will not improve. It will never recover the vision, not with glasses nor with any surgery. But with early diagnosis and prompt treatment, the vision in the ‘lazy eye’ can be restored,” she said.

There are several kinds of amblyopia. One is strabismic amblyopia or lazy eye resulting from “crossed eyes” or when the eyes are misaligned or not straight. The brain shuts off the eye that is not straight, resulting in poor or loss of vision in that eye. 

Deprivation amblyopia is when an eye disease, such as cataract, interferes with a child’s vision and results in poor visual development.

Refractive amblyopia, on the other hand, is when the eyes do not have equal focusing ability due to nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.

Treatments available for these kinds of amblyopia range from patching (covering the good eye to force the “lazy eye” to work) or eyedrops (to temporarily blur the vision of the good eye), prescribing eyeglasses (to improve focusing), cataract removal (to improve vision) or muscle surgery (to straighten the misaligned eye).

Some forms of amblyopia can easily be spotted by parents, such as crossed eyes, but others may not be as noticeable and may require vision screening by an expert.

For more information on “lazy eye” and other eye problems, visit the American Eye Center at Shangri -La Plaza Mall, EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City or call (02) 636-0762 or 0917-LASERME.