Pediatric Eye Care
 It is recommended that all children have their eyes checked before they start school. If there is a family history of misaligned eyes, childhood cataracts or a serious eye disease an ophthalmologist should examine your child.
is poor vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood. It is sometimes called "lazy eye". Usually only one eye is affected by amblyopia. The best time to correct this is during early childhood. After age nine the visual system is usually developed and cannot be changed. The development of equal vision in both eyes is necessary for normal vision. If vision in one eye should be lost later in life from an accident or illness it is essential that the other eye have normal vision. Without normal vision in at least one eye, a person is visually impaired. For all these reasons, amblyopia should be treated as early as possible.
- Strabismus (misaligned eyes)
Amblyopia occurs most commonly with misaligned or crossed eyes. The crossed eye "turns off" to avoid double vision and the child uses only the better eye.
- Unequal focus (refractive error)
Refractive errors are corrected by wearing glasses. Amblyopia occurs when one eye is out of focus because it is more nearsighted, farsighted or astigmatic than the other. The blurred eye "turns off" and becomes amblyopic. This is the most difficult type of amblyopia to detect since it requires careful measurement of vision.
- Cloudiness in normally clear eye tissues
A cataract (clouding of the natural lens) may lead to amblyopia. Any factor that prevents a clear image and proper focus inside the eye can lead to the development of amblyopia in a child. This is often the most severe form of amblyopia.
Amblyopia is detected by finding a difference in vision between the two eyes. Since it is difficult to measure vision in young children, visual acuity is estimated by watching how well a baby follows an object with one eye covered and then the other eye is checked. Your doctor will also examine the interior of the child's eye by looking for other conditions that may cause decreased vision.
To correct amblyopia, a child must be made to use the weak eye. The weaker eye must be made stronger in order to see normally. This is usually done by patching the strong eye, or using eye drops, if glasses alone do not improve vision. If the ophthalmologist finds a cataract, or other abnormality, surgery may be required.
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