Amblyopia, commonly referred to as ‘lazy eye’, tends to affect children more and is usually easy to treat. If left uncorrected however, it could permanently affect the vision.

 

Lazy eye usually develops from around the age of four. It occurs when there is a reduction in the amount of light entering one eye which results in different qualities of vision, as one is weaker than the other. Over time, the brain may ‘learn’ to ignore images received from the weaker eye and only accept those from the stronger eye. This causes one eye to be used less and less making it the ‘Lazy Eye'.

 

Lazy eye is usually simple to treat, but it can take time. If ignored, the vision may be permanently compromised. Amblyopia can be diagnosed from around the ages of five or six. The underlying problem needs to be addressed – for example, prescription glasses can correct the focus of the weaker eye; but the better eye may then need to be covered by a patch for a while to strengthen the affected eye.