toddler wandering eye

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

What is amblyopia.

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye or wandering eye, is a common vision problem in children. In most cases of amblyopia, your child’s brain ignores the signals coming from one eye, meaning the other eye is the only one being used.

Over time, the brain gets used to working with only one eye. The eye that’s being ignored by the brain doesn’t develop normal vision.

If treated while your child is young and the eyes are still developing, he has a good chance of overcoming amblyopia. The goal of treatment is to make your child’s brain use both eyes. Getting the eyes to work as a team becomes harder as your child grows. Early treatment is best; and treatment may not work at all if started after 7-10 years of age.

If left untreated, amblyopia may keep your child from developing normal vision.

Amblyopia affects 2-5 percent of children.

Amblyopia has three main causes:

• Strabismus , which occurs when a child’s eyes aren’t aligned (straight). The eyes don’t work together. This leads the brain to ignore one eye.
• Refractive error , or need for glasses. Children are especially at risk if one eye has larger need for glasses compared to other eye.
• Conditions that cause poor vision in one eye, like cataract or droopy eyelid (ptosis), which prompts the brain to ignore the blurry pictures seen by that eye.

Additional factors can place a child at a higher risk for amblyopia, including:

• A family history of amblyopia
• Prematurity
• Developmental delay
• Craniofacial disorders
• Certain genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21) , 22q deletion syndrome , Williams syndrome and Noonan syndrome

Symptoms of amblyopia can vary from child to child, but may include:

• Squinting in one or both eyes
• Rubbing one eye (not just when tired)
• Holding items close to the eyes to see them
• A wandering or crossed eye (strabismus)

It’s important to note that some children display no symptoms of amblyopia. The child’s strong eye — and her brain — can compensate for the weaker eye, making it appear that the child has good vision.

Testing and diagnosis

Vision screening is the best way to detect presence of amblyopia or risk factors for developing amblyopia. Photoscreening, a type of vision screening that uses a special camera to determine how well a child can see, is often performed in conjunction with vision testing at pediatricians or schools.

The goal of treatment for amblyopia is to:

• Correct the problem that is causing amblyopia
• Make each eye see as well as it can, which often involves forcing the brain to use the “weak” eye
• Force the brain to use the signals from both eyes
• Make both eyes work together

Amblyopia is most often treated by blocking one eye to keep it from doing all the work. The brain can learn to accept signals from the eye that’s being ignored. Gradually, vision in this eye may improve.

Commonly used treatments include:

• An eye patch  is placed over the eye that’s being used. With this eye blocked, the brain is forced to start working with the eye it’s ignoring. The patch must be worn while your child is awake. Your child may not like wearing a patch. But remember that treatment will work only if your child wears the patch as often as instructed.
• Medicated (atropine) eye drops  can be used instead of a patch. Drops are put in the “good” eye, blurring near vision in that eye. This allows the eye that’s being ignored to start working with the brain. Eye drops may be an option for certain children who don’t like wearing a patch. But putting in eye drops can take practice.
• Eyeglasses can help correct focusing problems . They can also be prescribed to blur sight in the eye that’s being used. This forces the brain to work with the eye it’s ignoring. In some cases, sight in one eye is blocked by sticking a patch or a filter to the inside of an eyeglass lens. As vision improves, your child’s eyeglass prescription may change.

Follow-up care

Once amblyopia improves, maintenance treatment may be needed to prevent vision from slipping. Maintenance treatment includes continued wearing of eyeglasses and/or wearing an eye patch for decreasing amounts of time during the day than was required during the treatment period.

Amblyopia can cause blindness, but fortunately it is the most reversible cause of blindness. Treatment is highly successful as long as children and families stick to the treatment plan.

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Pediatric Amblyopia (lazy eye)

What you need to know.

Every year hundreds of children are evaluated and treated at Children’s National Hospital for amblyopia ("lazy eye") and its underlying causes. Children's National pediatric ophthalmologists  have extensive experience in identifying and treating the condition, which affects 4-5% of the population.

Amblyopia is almost always treatable if detected early. With increased awareness, early vision screening and referral, and timely diagnosis and management of amblyopia, proper visual acuity can be restored. Drawing on their wide experience, Children's National pediatric ophthalmologists will design an individualized treatment plan for each child.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is amblyopia (lazy eye).

Amblyopia, often called "lazy eye" is poor sight in a normal eye. During early childhood, a child's brain actively develops its visual pathways from the eyes to the visual processing center. This process occurs from the first month of life until around 8 to 10 years of age, after which the pathways are permanently set. If development of the visual pathways is impeded, the affected eye may never develop good vision.

Some of the most common causes of amblyopia include various forms of  strabismus  (misalignment of the eyes), uncorrected refractive errors, newborn cataracts or ptosis ("droopy eyelid").

What are the symptoms of lazy eye in children?

There may be no symptoms. Because vision problems from amblyopia affect only one eye, the child may function with one good eye and be unaware of the problem. Early detection is important.

How is lazy eye in children diagnosed?

A visual acuity test is an important screening tool. These tests are performed at schools, health fairs and primary care clinics , usually beginning around 3 or 4 years of age. If there are concerns regarding visual acuity, a full eye exam is needed.

What is included in the treatment of lazy eye in children?

Treatment of lazy eye at Children's National is designed to both address the underlying cause and help the brain use the eye that has been effectively ignored. Based on their extensive experience, Children's National pediatric ophthalmologists will carefully individualize each child's treatment timeline and regimen, taking into account what is most suitable for the condition, the child's age and temperament, and the family's dynamics.

Treating the underlying cause of lazy eye may involve:

Treatment of lazy eye may involve the use of patching or atropine drops in the good eye to encourage the brain to use the affected eye more, making its visual development stronger.

Patching can be a challenge for any parent and child. Most children with lazy eye are too young to appreciate the benefits of patching and it can be an annoyance. Adhesive patches, available at most pharmacies, are the gold standard for treatment.

Some patients may be able to use atropine eye drops instead, depending on the type and severity of their lazy eye. There are rare occasions when felt patches also can be used. A Children’s National specialist will be able to tell you which options are appropriate for your child, based on a thorough evaluation.

What is the long-term outlook for a child with lazy eye?

The good news about lazy eye is that it can be a very treatable disease, leading to improved vision, if effectively addressed in a timely manner. Treatment may be needed throughout childhood to best treat the child and timely follow-up is of crucial importance. Follow-up appointment intervals may range from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the age of the child, type of lazy eye, and severity of the disease.

All members of the  Pediatric Ophthalmology Team  are trained to detect, properly diagnose, and manage strabismus in children and adults. Learn more about the Division of Ophthalmology  and our locations or call us at  202-476-3015.

Meet the Providers Who Treat Amblyopia (lazy eye)

Departments that treat amblyopia (lazy eye).

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Our specialized pediatric ophthalmologists are experts at recognizing and treating complex eye conditions in infants and children.

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Amblyopia: What Is Lazy Eye?

Amblyopia is when vision in one or both eyes does not develop properly during childhood. It is sometimes called lazy eye. Amblyopia is a common problem in babies and young children.

A child’s vision develops in the first few years of life . It is important to diagnose and treat amblyopia as early as possible. Otherwise, a child with amblyopia will not develop normal, healthy vision.

What Is the Cause of Lazy Eye?

Amblyopia can develop from other eye and vision problems. Here are some conditions that may cause amblyopia in a child.

Strabismus  is when the eyes point in two different directions. One eye may be focused straight ahead while the other turns in, out, up, or down. To avoid seeing double , the child's brain may ignore the image from the eye that is not focused straight ahead. But this can keep that eye from developing properly.

Refractive errors

Having a refractive error means being nearsighted , farsighted , or having astigmatism (distorted or blurry vision ). A child may have a refractive error that is worse in one eye. That eye can "turn off," and vision will not develop properly. This can be difficult to tell since the child's vision seems fine when using both eyes.

Cloudiness in the normally clear parts of the eye

Some children are born with a cataract , where the eye's normally clear  lens is cloudy. This can keep vision from developing properly in that eye.

Droopy eyelid

Ptosis, or a droopy eyelid , can block vision in a child’s developing eye and lead to amblyopia.

Your child might not be aware of having better vision in one eye than the other. And you may not realize it either unless your child has  strabismus or another eye problem you can see.

Amblyopia Diagnosis

Ophthalmologists diagnose amblyopia by checking to see if vision differs between the two eyes. To check a baby's or young child's vision, the ophthalmologist may cover one of the child's eyes and watch how well they can follow a moving object. The doctor may also watch how the child reacts when one eye is covered. If one eye has amblyopia and the other is covered, the child may try to look above or below the patch, pull it off or cry.

The ophthalmologist will do a complete medical eye exam , looking for other eye problems that could be affecting vision.

Poor vision in one eye does not always mean a child has amblyopia. In some cases, wearing  glasses to correct a refractive error in one eye can improve vision.

When Should a Child's Vision Be Tested?

All children should have their vision checked by their pediatrician, family physician, or ophthalmologist at or before entering pre-K or kindergarten. If there is a family history of misaligned eyes, childhood cataracts or serious eye disease, an ophthalmologist should check their eyes when they are an infant.

Most doctors test vision as part of a child's medical exam. If they see any sign of eye problems, they may send a child to an ophthalmologist for further tests.

Amblyopia Treatment

Amblyopia is usually corrected by making the child use their weaker eye . This is often done by putting a patch over the child’s stronger eye. In some cases,  eye drops can be used to blur vision in the stronger eye. Or the child may wear eyeglasses with a lens that blurs vision in that eye.

It generally takes several weeks to several months for vision to get stronger in the weaker eye. Once the child has better vision in that eye, they may need to wear an eye patch part-time for a few years. This helps keep their vision strong. Remember to keep all appointments with the child’s ophthalmologist who will carefully monitor your child’s vision.

How to Choose and Use an Eye Patch

An eye patch should be comfortable, yet remain firmly in place. It should also not allow the child to peek around its edges. Most drug stores have a variety of sizes and types of eye patches. Decorated fun patches are available online. Do not use the black eye patches with elastic bands or ties (such as a pirate-type patches). These are too easy for a child to remove or peek around. To wear the patch, simply attach it to the skin around your child’s eye.

If your child wears glasses, there are patches designed to attach to the lens. These may be good for children who are used to wearing a patch, but they are not as good for a child new to treatment. This is because the patch can slip or the child may learn to peek around it. If your child wears glasses and is not used to patching, it is best to attach the patch directly around the stronger eye underneath the glasses.

Keep Your Child from Taking Off the Eye Patch

Children do not like to have their stronger eye patched or blurred. However, you need to help your child do what is best for them. Otherwise, treatment will not work.

Try distracting the child or having them do something that keeps their attention. Or reward the child with a treat for wearing the patch.

It can take a while for your child to get used to wearing a patch. Over time, this should get easier for them and you. Remember that strengthening the weaker eye is the only way to develop healthy, normal vision.

If your child still takes off the patch, as a last resort, you might cover his or her hands with gloves, mittens, or socks.

Teach Your Child About the Eye Patch

Pre-school or school-age children might not want to wear an eye patch or use blurring eye drops. To help, parents should explain how important these treatments are to be able to see well. And reassure them that lots of children wear eye patches for the same reason.

Consider having a very young child practice putting an eye patch on a doll. Or let the child decorate his or her patch with crayons or markers.

Explain the amblyopia treatment to the child’s teacher. Ask the teacher to compliment the child on being so good about wearing the patch. Children thrive on positive feedback from their teachers.

Things to consider with patching treatment:

• In very rare instances it is possible to overuse the patch or blurring eye drops. This can affect vision in the stronger eye. Be sure to keep the child’s appointments with the ophthalmologist so that vision in both eyes can be closely monitored.
• The skin near your child’s eye patch can get irritated. To help, try a different size or type of patch, and angle the patch differently each day.
• Your child may initially be clumsy when wearing a patch. Try to keep an eye on your child when they are climbing stairs or being active.

Surgery to Correct Causes of Amblyopia

In some cases, the ophthalmologist will recommend surgery to correct certain eye problems causing amblyopia. After surgery, the child may need to keep wearing a patch or otherwise cover the stronger eye until their vision improves.

It is possible to prevent vision loss from amblyopia. For best results, amblyopia should be treated before a child reaches 7 or 8 years old. Many children do not like to have their stronger eye patched or blurred. However, you need to help your child do what is best for them.

Treating Amblyopia Using New Technology

A new treatment for amblyopia uses a virtual reality (VR) headset to help improve vision in children aged 4 to 7. A child watches videos wearing the headset, which helps them use their weaker eye. To learn more, ask your child’s ophthalmologist.

Treating Amblyopia for Better Lifelong Vision

When a child has amblyopia, it is important to make vision stronger in the weak eye. Even if eye problems causing amblyopia are corrected with glasses or surgery, the amblyopia itself must be treated. If not, the child may have lifelong vision problems.

Learn about an ophthalmologist's role in eye care.

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Lazy eye (amblyopia)

On this page, preparing for your appointment.

Your doctor will conduct an eye exam, checking for eye health, a wandering eye, a difference in vision between the eyes or poor vision in both eyes. Eyedrops are generally used to dilate the eyes. The eyedrops cause blurred vision that lasts for several hours or a day.

The method used to test vision depends on your child's age and stage of development:

• Preverbal children. A lighted magnifying device can be used to detect cataracts. Other tests can assess an infant's or toddler's ability to fix his or her gaze and to follow a moving object.
• Children age 3 and older. Tests using pictures or letters can assess the child's vision. Each eye is covered in turn to test the other.

It's important to start treatment for lazy eye as soon as possible in childhood, when the complicated connections between the eye and the brain are forming. The best results occur when treatment starts before age 7, although half of children between the ages of 7 and 17 respond to treatment.

Treatment options depend on the cause of lazy eye and on how much the condition is affecting your child's vision. Your doctor might recommend:

• Corrective eyewear. Glasses or contact lenses can correct problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism that result in lazy eye.
• Eye patches. To stimulate the weaker eye, your child wears an eye patch over the eye with better vision for two to six or more hours a day. In rare cases, wearing an eye patch too long can cause amblyopia to develop in the patched eye. However it's usually reversible.
• Bangerter filter. This special filter is placed on the eyeglass lens of the stronger eye. The filter blurs the stronger eye and, like an eye patch, works to stimulate the weaker eye.
• Eyedrops. An eyedrop of a medication called atropine (Isopto Atropine) can temporarily blur vision in the stronger eye. Usually prescribed for use on weekends or daily, use of the drops encourages your child to use the weaker eye, and offers an alternative to a patch. Side effects include sensitivity to light and eye irritation.
• Surgery. Your child might need surgery if he or she has droopy eyelids or cataracts that cause deprivation amblyopia. If your child's eyes continue to cross or wander apart with the appropriate glasses, your doctor might recommend surgical repair to straighten the eyes, in addition to other lazy eye treatments.

Activity-based treatments — such as drawing, doing puzzles or playing computer games — are available. The effectiveness of adding these activities to other therapies hasn't been proved. Research into new treatments is ongoing.

For most children with lazy eye, proper treatment improves vision within weeks to months. Treatment might last from six months to two years.

It's important for your child to be monitored for recurrence of lazy eye — which can happen in up to 25 percent of children with the condition. If lazy eye recurs, treatment will need to start again.

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.

Your child's doctor might refer you to a doctor who specializes in treating eye disorders in children (pediatric ophthalmologist).

Here's some information to help you get ready.

What you can do

Make a list of the following:

• Symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason why you scheduled the appointment, and when you noticed them
• All medications, vitamins and supplements your child takes, including doses
• Key medical information, including other conditions or allergies your child has
• Your family history of eye problems, such as lazy eye, cataracts or glaucoma
• Questions to ask your doctor

For lazy eye, questions to ask your doctor include:

• What is the likely cause of my child's lazy eye?
• Is there another possible diagnosis?
• What treatment options are most likely to help my child?
• How much improvement can we expect with treatment?
• Is my child at risk of other complications from this condition?
• Is this condition likely to recur after treatment?
• How often should my child be seen for follow-up visits?

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor is likely to ask you questions, such as:

• Does your child appear to have problems seeing?
• Do your child's eyes appear to cross or wander?
• Does your child hold things close to see them?
• Does your child squint?
• Have you noticed anything else unusual about your child's vision?
• Have your child's eyes been injured?

Aug 14, 2021

• Coats DK, et al. Amblyopia in children: Classification, screening, and evaluation. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• AskMayoExpert. Amblyopia. Mayo Clinic; 2021.
• Amblyopia. National Eye Institute. https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/amblyopia-lazy-eye. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• Amblyopia preferred practice pattern. American Academy of Ophthalmology. https://www.aao.org/preferred-practice-pattern/amblyopia-ppp-2017. Accessed June 8, 2021.
• Coats DK, et al. Amblyopia in children: Management and outcome. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 8, 2021.
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• Lazy eye (amblyopia) diagnosis & treatment

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Amblyopia is sometimes called “lazy eye.” if left untreated, it can affect a child’s vision permanently..

Last Updated May 2022 | This article was created by familydoctor.org editorial staff and reviewed by Leisa Bailey, MD

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Corneal abrasions, vision loss, what is amblyopia (lazy eye).

Amblyopia is also called “lazy eye.” It is an eye problem that starts in early childhood. Amblyopia is the most common cause of vision problems in children. It happens when one eye doesn’t work properly with the brain. The brain favors the eye that does work correctly. This causes a loss of vision in the other eye.

Amblyopia usually affects only one of the eyes. Sometimes it can affect both. It is important to detect amblyopia in your child early and treat it promptly. If you do, they most likely will not have long-term vision problems. Left untreated, it can cause severe vision problems, including legal blindness.

What are the symptoms of amblyopia?

Amblyopia usually starts between birth and age 7. Symptoms in your child could include:

• Eyes that don’t work together
• One eye that wanders inward or outward
• Squinting, shutting one eye, or tilting the head to look at something
• Problems with depth perception
• An upper eyelid that droops

Sometimes symptoms are not noticeable except in an eye exam.

What causes amblyopia?

All babies are born with poor eyesight. As they grow older, their vision continues to improve. For good eyesight, both eyes need to provide the same clear, focused image. Some children develop conditions that cause problems with their vision. These problems can cause the child to get a different picture from each eye. The child’s brain naturally tries to fix this problem by blocking out the weaker picture. If the problem is not fixed when the child is young, the child’s brain will always ignore pictures from the weak eye. This causes amblyopia.

Any condition that prevents the eye from focusing clearly can cause amblyopia. The 3 most common conditions are:

• Strabismus (also called crossed eyes) – The eyes don’t line up in the same direction. This is the most common cause of amblyopia.
• Refractive error – This includes nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It is more likely to cause amblyopia if the error is greater in one eye.
• Cataracts – These cause clouding in the lens of the eye. Cataracts in children are uncommon.

Some children have a higher risk of having amblyopia. These include children who:

• Were born prematurely.
• Were small at birth.
• Have a family history of amblyopia.
• Have developmental disabilities.

How is amblyopia diagnosed?

If you notice any of the above symptoms in your child, even when they are an infant, call your doctor. They will do an eye exam. They will ask about symptoms, family history, and risk factors.

Otherwise, children should have an initial eye checkup between the ages of 3 and 5.

Can amblyopia be prevented or avoided?

Amblyopia cannot be prevented. But vision loss resulting from it can be avoided. Watch your child’s vision habits. If you have any concerns, call your doctor. When amblyopia is caught and treated early, children should be able to keep most of their vision. If it is left untreated past the age of 10, they will probably have vision problems for the rest of their life. Early detection is the key to preventing vision loss.

Amblyopia treatment

Treatment for amblyopia involves the child using the weaker eye more. This helps the eye get stronger. To make the child use the weaker eye, they will wear an adhesive patch over the stronger eye. Most children wear their patches 2 to 6 hours a day.

Sometimes, eye drops or special glasses are used to blur the vision in the stronger eye. This also makes the weaker eye work harder and strengthens it. Glasses or contact lenses can fix problems with nearsightedness or farsightedness. Surgery may be needed for cataracts, droopy eyelids, or crossed eyes.

Treatment usually lasts until vision is normal, or until vision stops getting better. For most children, this takes several weeks to several months. A few children need to use eye patches until they are 8 to 10 years old.

There’s a small chance that using an eye patch for too long can hurt the strong eye. Children who are wearing eye patches should see their doctor often during the treatment.

Why is early treatment important?

The first years of life are the most important for eyesight development. During a child’s first 7 to 10 years, connections between the eye and brain are created. It is much more effective to treat amblyopia while those connections are still maturing. After your child’s vision system is fully developed, it is hard to change. If the amblyopia hasn’t been treated, they will most likely have poor vision for life. It won’t be possible to fix it with glasses, patching, or any other treatment.

One clinical trial showed that there could be benefits for treating children up to age 17. More research is needed on how treatment could help teenagers or adults.

Living with amblyopia

Depending on your child’s age, it could be difficult for them to wear an eye patch. If a patch bothers your child, ask your doctor if you have other options. Glasses or eye drops might be a better choice for your child.

Amblyopia can come back after treatment is finished. It’s important to continue to watch your child for symptoms. If symptoms do come back, treatment will need to be repeated. Some children’s treatment lasts until they are 10 years old.

Questions to ask your doctor

• Will my child always have vision problems?
• What is the best way to treat amblyopia?
• Will my child need glasses or contacts?
• My child needs to wear an eye patch. How long will they wear it?
• Are there any long-term problems from amblyopia?
• My child doesn’t like the eye patch. Are they a candidate for the eye drops?

National Eye Institute: Amblyopia

Last Updated: May 3, 2022

This article was contributed by: familydoctor.org editorial staff

Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

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Strabismus is an eye disorder. It affects the muscle control in your eyes. The eyes don’t line up properly.…

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7 Signs Your Child Might Have a Lazy Eye

Do you know the signs to look for to identify lazy eye in your child?

Amblyopia , commonly known as “lazy eye” is a neuro-developmental vision condition that typically develops before a child turns eight years old.

Lazy eye occurs when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity . The condition causes blurry vision in the affected eye (even with corrective lenses), poor depth perception, and reading difficulties.

• Lazy eye affects up to 3 percent of the population.
• Approximately 10 million children and adults in the U.S. have lazy eye.

A lazy eye is generally difficult to recognize because it usually develops in only one eye, without a noticeable eye turn.  

It is important to be aware of the signs that may indicate a lazy eye, since in most cases, the condition is not recognized easily— though it can significantly affect a child’s quality of life.

Contact an eye doctor near you that has experience in diagnosing and treating lazy eye.

The following 7 signs may indicate a “hidden” lazy eye 

1. frequently squints, rubs, or closes one eye.

Does your child squint his eyes, or close one eye when outdoors on a bright, sunny day? Does he rub his eye or cover it with his hand? 

These may be signs that one eye is weaker than the other, and your child may be trying to find ways to see more clearly.

2. Turns head to one side 

Does your child watch TV with his head turned to one side? 

Since lazy eye typically affects one eye, a child with a lazy eye may turn his head to utilize his dominant eye to see better. You may also notice that your child turns his head while playing sports or trying to catch a ball, or even while watching live sports games.

3. Reading difficulties

Does your child read below grade level or refuse to read altogether?

A lazy eye can make reading quite difficult— causing loss of place, skipping words, re-reading words, misreading or substituting words, and adding words into sentences.

A child with a lazy eye must exert extra focusing effort to keep the words clear. This additional effort can cause fatigue and reduced concentration while reading. A lazy eye can turn reading into a stressful task, instead of an engaging activity— especially as the words get smaller with higher grade level books.

Schedule an exam with an eye doctor near you to diagnose and treat your child’s lazy eye.

SEE RELATED: Does Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) Affect Eye-Hand Coordination?

Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You

4. math difficulties.

Does your child struggle in math? Believe it or not, this may be a sign of a lazy eye. 

When a lazy eye develops, the eyes become slightly misaligned. Though it may not be noticeable when looking at your child’s eyes, blurry or double vision can occur, and affect the way math problems appear on a page.

When a child sees a math problem stacked in rows, they may not see the numbers accurately as a result of blurry or double vision— this will affect their ability to solve math problems accurately. Additionally, if the child exerts too much focusing effort, it may distract them from understanding the task at hand, or method of solving the problem.

5. Sports performance difficulties or accident prone

Does your child love to play sports, but for some reason cannot keep up with their peers? Does it seem like your child is frequently tripping, falling, or bumping into things?

A lazy eye can affect depth perception, or the ability to judge the distance or location of an object in space. Without clear depth perception, playing most sports can be quite challenging. Both eyes need to be working together in order to judge where objects are located in relation to yourself.

Without clear depth perception, a child with a lazy eye may also frequently trip over objects, fall down stairs, and maybe even get hit by a moving swing at the park.

6. Reduced fine motor skills

Does your child have messy handwriting?

Lazy eye symptoms such as poor binocular coordination and depth perception, can cause reduced fine motor skills. Binocular coordination enables clear depth perception, and is crucial for all fine motor skills, including legible handwriting. However, with a lazy eye, binocular coordination is reduced.

Without strong fine motor skills, the ability to stay on the line when writing can be a challenge. If your child continually writes above or below the line, their eyes may not be working in coordination.

7. Attention difficulties

Does your child’s attention seem to wander during times they should be focused on a task, such as reading or drawing?

While your child might appear to have an attention problem, in truth, a lazy eye can cause focusing difficulties during activities of prolonged visual focus. Therefore, your child’s inability to maintain concentration during visually-oriented tasks could be a sign of reduced focusing skills, and possibly a lazy eye.

How is lazy eye treated? 

If your child has a lazy eye, vision therapy , with or without eye patching or atropine eye drops, is the most effective way to strengthen the affected eye.

Vision therapy consists of a series of eye exercises performed under the supervision of your eye doctor. These exercises help to strengthen the eye-brain connections, to improve the visual skills necessary for binocular vision.

LEARN MORE: Guide to Vision Therapy for Lazy Eye

If your child is showing signs of a lazy eye, schedule an eye exam for a proper diagnosis, and to begin an effective treatment plan as soon as possible.

Vision therapy can help your child gain the confidence he deserves, academic and athletic success he desires, and the ability to view life in a more clear and comfortable way.

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Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia is a loss of vision, or poor vision, in an eye that did not develop correctly in early childhood. Amblyopia is also called lazy eye because one eye (the amblyopic eye) has weaker vision than the other. While amblyopia most often affects one eye, it can occur in both. This eye condition affects approximately two to three out of every 100 children and is the most common cause of pediatric vision loss.

Pediatric ophthalmologists at Riley at IU Health provide young children with medical and surgical treatment of eye conditions like amblyopia. Our ophthalmologists are board certified in ophthalmology and are committed to providing high-quality care in a child-friendly environment.

How Amblyopia Develops and the Importance of Early Diagnosis

To develop good eyesight, infants need both eyes to provide the same clear image to the brain. If the images differ, the brain tries to block the image from the weaker eye. This eye continues to be ignored and amblyopia develops if the problem is not corrected.

Amblyopia can result from any condition that prevents the eye from focusing clearly, such as misalignment of the eyes ( strabismus ), or a droopy eyelid or clouding of the front part of the eye (a  cataract ). Refractive error—a problem with the eye’s ability to focus caused by the shape of the eye—may also cause amblyopia. Refractive errors can include nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

Early diagnosis of amblyopia is critical because the brain’s vision system is typically completed between the ages of 8 and 10. If amblyopia is not addressed in early childhood, problems such as poor vision, permanent visual defects and problems with depth perception can continue throughout life.

Early treatment can improve vision and deliver the best long-term outcome. Studies show that children age 7 and up are less responsive to treatment than those 3 to 6 years old. One recent study, however, suggests that children up to age 17 may benefit from treatment.

Three Types of Amblyopia:

• Strabismic amblyopia. The eyes are not straight and one eye may turn in, out, up or down with strabismic amblyopia. When the brain begins to ignore this weaker eye, vision loss occurs in the eye that is not straight.
• Deprivation amblyopia. When cataracts or similar conditions impair one or both eyes, deprivation amblyopia may develop. If not treated early, children with deprivation amblyopia may have very poor vision for life.
• Refractive amblyopia. This condition occurs when there is a big difference in the vision capabilities of each eye. The brain learns to rely on the vision of the stronger eye. Refractive amblyopia can be difficult to detect because there may be no noticeable difference between the two eyes. Children may not complain about blurry vision because the brain relies on images from the stronger eye. As a result, refractive amblyopia may only be detected after a vision screening that tests the capability of each eye. Refractive amblyopia can affect one or both eyes, and early diagnosis and treatment are important for optimal vision.

Symptoms That Suggest Amblyopia

Symptoms of amblyopia can vary. In many cases, neither the child nor the parent is aware of any symptoms. Amblyopia may be present if:

• Your child has poor overall vision or complains about blurriness in one eye
• There are obvious physical differences in the eyes, such as strabismus or misalignment of the eyes
• Your child squints with one eye, brings objects closer to see, has abnormal head posture or involuntary eye movements
• Your child has problems with depth perception
• There is a family history of amblyopia

Sometimes amblyopia is not detected until a vision screening is done. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends vision screening for all children by a pediatrician or primary care doctor at least once between the ages of 3 and 5.

Diagnosis of Amblyopia

Riley at IU Health pediatric ophthalmologists use a variety of diagnostic tests to detect amblyopia at various ages. Infants are checked for their ability to fix and follow objects with their eyes. An ophthalmologist can screen for strabismus and see how a baby reacts when one eye is covered.

Physicians may test toddlers’ pupillary red reflexes or conduct other tests to identify significant refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Once children can read or match objects, they can complete a vision screening to test the acuity of each eye.

An ophthalmologist examines the inside of your child’s eye to look for diseases or conditions like cataract inflammation (swelling) or tumors.

Improved vision is the goal of ophthalmologic treatment. Some children do not achieve 20/20 vision, but they can significantly improve their eyesight if diagnosed and treated early. The best time to treat amblyopia is infancy and early childhood.

The most common types of treatment for amblyopia are:

• Patches. During this treatment, your child wears an adhesive eye patch over the stronger eye for weeks or months. This forces him or her to use the weaker eye, which strengthens this eye and helps develop the part of the brain that works with vision. The patch may be worn daily for two to six hours. Older children who want a less noticeable option may use a Bangerter filter over an eyeglass lens of the non-amblyopic eye.
• Atropine eye drops. This treatment option places eye drops in the stronger eye to blur vision, causing your child to rely on the eye with amblyopia. Some families find using eye drops easier than using the eye patch because there is no need to worry about the child refusing or removing the patch. Eye drops do not work as well when the stronger eye is nearsighted.
• Surgery. The ophthalmologist may first need to treat the issue(s) causing the amblyopia. For example, a cataract can be removed from the eye or surgery can be performed to fix droopy eyelids. These options can help the eyes begin to work together. Surgery for these underlying conditions will not improve vision for those with amblyopia.

Treatment usually lasts until vision is normal or stops getting better. In most children, this may last several weeks, but in a few cases, patching can be necessary for years.

Children with amblyopia may wear glasses and contacts before and after treatment. These corrective measures will not fix amblyopia, but consistent use can improve overall vision and can be worn by children as young as one week old. Children can choose glasses and be fitted for contacts at our full-service optical shop.

Treatment for amblyopia may not significantly improve vision for some children. For those with good vision in one eye, safety glasses or sports goggles can protect the normal eye. If the normal eye stays healthy, children can function and enjoy all normal activities.

Points to Remember

• Amblyopia, often called lazy eye, is the most common cause of vision loss in children. 
• Amblyopia can occur in one or both eyes and can be caused by any condition that prevents the eye from focusing clearly.
• Parents, and even children themselves, may not detect amblyopia.
• Ophthalmologists test for amblyopia in infants and children using a variety of diagnostic tools.
• Early detection and vision screening are important because the parts of the brain that control vision are developed early in life.
• The best time to treat amblyopia is infancy and early childhood. Patching and eye drops are the most commonly prescribed treatments.

Support Services & Resources

Riley at IU Health offers a broad range of supportive services to make life better for families who choose us for their children's care.

Learn More About Riley Support Services

This National Institutes of Health website offers information and links related to health conditions, including amblyopia.

This website is supported through the American Academy of Family Physicians and has public information for conditions such as amblyopia.

The NEI, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports research, provides training, and shares health information about eyesight, eye diseases and conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye).

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership association of physicians who provide eye care in the United States. Their website contains information for parents about diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia.

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Lazy eye (amblyopia) in children: learn more – what are the treatment options for lazy eye (amblyopia).

Last Update: February 14, 2024 ; Next update: 2027.

Lazy eye (amblyopia) in children can be treated with glasses, an eye patch or eye drops. The treatment will depend on factors like the type and severity of the problem.

In some children, only one eye focuses properly. This is a vision problem called lazy eye (medical term: amblyopia). It is caused when the two eyes send different images to the brain. This may happen if the child has a squint, or if one of their eyes is more nearsighted or farsighted than the other. The brain then mainly processes the information coming from the better eye, ignoring the other.

• What are the treatment options?

The treatment for lazy eye will depend on things like how severe it is. The main treatment options are:

• Glasses that can correct existing refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, blurred vision).
• Occlusion therapy using an eye patch: Here the eye that sees better is covered up with a special patch for several hours a day. For children who wear glasses, the lens on that side can be covered. The aim of this treatment is to encourage the weaker eye to work harder. The word “occlusion” comes from the Latin word that means “to shut or close.”
• Eye drops: Eye drops can be used to temporarily make it harder for the “good” eye to see properly, so the weaker eye has to take over and work harder. The drops contain medication such as atropine. This drug numbs the muscles in the stronger eye, making the lens of the eye unable to focus for a few hours.

In rare cases, lazy eye may be caused by a cloudy eye lens at birth (congenital cataract) or a droopy eyelid. That condition is then treated before the lazy eye is treated.

• What does the treatment involve?

In children with a lazy eye, one eye is usually more nearsighted or farsighted than the other, or is affected by an astigmatism. That other vision problem is then corrected first using glasses. In some children, that’s enough to fix the lazy eye problem. But many children also need an eye patch or eye drops to effectively treat the lazy eye.

If the child's vision doesn't clearly improve in the lazy eye within twelve weeks despite wearing glasses, an eye patch or eye drops are used. This treatment typically takes a few months, during which regular eye tests are done.

Eye patches should be worn for at least six hours each day. The eye drops are used once a day, just after getting up in the morning. Their effect also lasts for a few hours.

Research has shown that treating amblyopia with an eye patch or eye drops can improve vision in children. There was no difference between the two treatments in the studies.

• How is lazy eye treated if it is caused by a squint?

If the lazy eye is caused by a squint, it is usually treated with an eye patch – together with glasses, if necessary. A lot of children who have a squint also have a refractive error. Research has found that treatment with glasses and eye patches improves the vision of children who have a squint.

Surgery is sometimes used if the squint is severe. This involves tightening or loosening eye muscles in order to change the position of the eyeball. The aim is to improve spatial vision (ability to judge how close or far away things are) and make the squint less noticeable to other people. The surgery doesn't improve the lazy eye problem itself, though, so it is typically only done after the lazy eye has been treated.

• Are there side effects too?

Some people worry that covering the healthy eye could make it weaker because it's then used less during the treatment. But research in this area hasn’t found that to be true.

Eye patches may irritate some children’s skin. Eye drops can cause temporary sensitivity to light or a burning sensation. Sometimes a child might not be able to see properly with the healthy eye for a short while after treatment with eye drops. Eye drops may be particularly suitable for children who have problems wearing an eye patch.

• Can amblyopia be treated later on?

Specialists recommend treating lazy eye as early as possible. For a long time, it was assumed that treatment would only be successful if it was started before the age of 7. But studies involving children and teenagers aged 7 to 17 suggest that later treatment can probably improve eyesight, too.

• Can special exercises improve vision even more?

Sometimes children are encouraged to train their weaker eye by doing activities like drawing or making things while wearing the eye patch. Two studies have shown that this doesn't lead to a greater improvement in vision in most children. But it’s still not clear whether these activities help in certain children, such as those with severe vision problems.

• How can I help my child?

Most children don't have any problems wearing their eye patch in everyday life. But some find it hard to wear it as much as they are supposed to. There are several reasons for this: Their vision is worse during the treatment because the “good” eye is covered by the patch, and they can only see with their weaker eye. This can lead to trouble playing or learning, and can be tiring too. They might also be teased about their eye patch in day care or at school.

Having to wear an eye patch for such a long time every day can be a real problem for some children. Parents use different strategies to try to help their child accept the patch. Some explain why it's important to wear the patch. Or they might explain the results of past eye tests to show their child that their vision really is improving. It might also be possible to talk with the doctor to see if or when you can shorten the time that the eye patch needs to be on.

Some parents have reported that doing things like putting eye patches on dolls or soft toys, or even wearing eye patches themselves, makes eye patches seem more normal to their children. Some parents praise their children or reward them with small gifts as an incentive. Other families manage better by not making a big deal out of wearing the eye patch.

Eye patches might look ugly or too plain. Some children prefer to cover up their glasses with something more interesting that they have chosen themselves. As with so many things, having the patch be part of a regular daily routine may also be important for the child. The good news is that in a few months’ time it will most likely be a thing of the past.

• Gesellschaft für Neuropädiatrie (GNP). Visuelle Wahrnehmungsstörungen (Sk2-Leitlinie) . AWMF-Registernr.: 022-020. 2017.
• Jefferis JM, Connor AJ, Clarke MP. Amblyopia . BMJ 2015; 351: h5811. [ PubMed : 26563241 ]
• Li T, Qureshi R, Taylor K. Conventional occlusion versus pharmacologic penalization for amblyopia . Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; (8): CD006460. [ PMC free article : PMC6713317 ] [ PubMed : 31461545 ]
• Osborne DC, Greenhalgh KM, Evans MJ et al. Atropine Penalization Versus Occlusion Therapies for Unilateral Amblyopia after the Critical Period of Visual Development: A Systematic Review . Ophthalmol Ther 2018; 7(2): 323-332. [ PMC free article : PMC6258585 ] [ PubMed : 30328078 ]
• Schmucker C, Kleijnen J, Grosselfinger R et al. Effectiveness of early in comparison to late(r) treatment in children with amblyopia or its risk factors: a systematic review . Ophthalmic Epidemiol 2010; 17(1): 7-17. [ PubMed : 20100095 ]
• Taylor K, Elliott S. Interventions for strabismic amblyopia . Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; (7): CD006461. [ PMC free article : PMC10816941 ] [ PubMed : 25051925 ]
• Taylor K, Powell C, Hatt SR et al. Interventions for unilateral and bilateral refractive amblyopia . Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012; (4): CD005137. [ PubMed : 22513928 ]
• West S, Williams C. Amblyopia in children (aged 7 years or less) . BMJ Clin Evid 2016: 0709. [ PMC free article : PMC4701128 ] [ PubMed : 26731564 ]
• Yazdani N, Sadeghi R, Momeni-Moghaddam H et al. Part-time versus full-time occlusion therapy for treatment of amblyopia: A meta-analysis . J Curr Ophthalmol 2017; 29(2): 76-84. [ PMC free article : PMC5463007 ] [ PubMed : 28626815 ]

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

• Cite this Page InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Lazy eye (amblyopia) in children: Learn More – What are the treatment options for lazy eye (amblyopia)? [Updated 2024 Feb 14].

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A lazy eye (amblyopia) is when the vision in 1 eye does not develop properly. Rarely, both eyes can be affected.

Check if you have a lazy eye

A lazy eye does not always cause symptoms and is often first diagnosed during an eye test.

The main symptoms include:

• shutting 1 eye or squinting when looking at things
• eyes pointing in different directions (a squint )
• not being able to follow an object or person with your eyes
• tilting your head when looking at something
• having tired eyes and rubbing your eyes a lot
• difficulty catching or throwing
• tripping or falling over a lot
• blinking a lot

Many children do not notice anything wrong with their vision.

You can check a younger child's eyes by covering each eye with your hand, 1 at a time. They may complain if you cover their good eye.

Older children may say they're not able to see as well with 1 eye and may have problems with reading, writing and drawing.

Non-urgent advice: Go to an opticians if:

• you're worried about your or your child's vision
• you have not had an eye test for 2 years

What happens during an eye test

To check if you or your child have a lazy eye, an eye test specialist called an optometrist will usually do an eye test.

You'll be asked to look at lights or read letters while different lenses are placed in front of your eyes.

To check the health of your eyes, you or your child may be given eye drops so the optometrist can see the back of your eye more clearly.

If you or your child needs glasses, you'll be given a prescription. You can take this to any optician.

Find out more about eye tests for children

NHS eye tests

NHS eye tests are free for some people, including:

• children aged under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education
• people who have diabetes or glaucoma
• people on some benefits, including Universal Credit

Find out more about free NHS eye tests

Treatments for a lazy eye

How lazy eye is treated depends on what's causing it.

Treatment for a lazy eye aims to improve vision in the weaker eye.

This may include:

• wearing glasses to correct your vision
• wearing an eye patch over the stronger eye for a few hours a day for several months – these are usually worn with glasses
• using eye drops to temporarily blur vision in the stronger eye

Treatment should ideally start before the age of 7, when vision is still developing.

If lazy eye is caused by cataracts or a drooping eyelid, you may need surgery.

You may also need to have surgery if you have a squint. This will straighten the eyes and allow them to work together better, but does not improve your vision.

Some people are entitled to a voucher to help towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses, including:

• if you're on some benefits, including Universal Credit

If you do not have a voucher, you'll have to pay for glasses or contact lenses.

Find out more about NHS optical vouchers

Page last reviewed: 04 January 2023 Next review due: 04 January 2026

Eye Problems in Children

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Signs of toddler eye problems

Read this next, blinking hard, rubbing eyes, eyes stuck together in the morning, crossed eyes.

Do your best to spot eye trouble in your child and know that many of the common conditions that might crop up are often quickly and easily treated. Here's to clear vision for years to come!

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3 Causes of Lazy Eye in Children

Lazy eye develops when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity, causing blurry vision in the affected eye—even when wearing glasses. Left untreated, amblyopia can lead to permanent vision loss in one eye.

It’s important to understand that a lazy eye isn't actually lazy. Rather, the brain doesn’t process the visual signals from the ‘lazy’ eye. Eventually, the communication between the brain and the weaker eye deteriorates further, potentially leading to permanently reduced vision in that eye.  Fortunately, vision therapy can improve the condition by training the brain to work with both eyes equally.

What Causes Lazy Eye?

When the neural connections between the eyes and the brain are healthy, each eye sends a visual signal to the brain. The brain combines these two signals into one clear image, allowing us to properly see what we are looking at.

In the case of amblyopia, the brain doesn’t recognize the weaker eye's signals. Instead, it relies only on the visual input from the stronger eye.

Amblyopia can be caused by strabismus, anisometropia and deprivation.

Strabismus occurs when the eyes are misaligned and point in different directions. The most common cause of amblyopia is eye misalignment, which causes the brain to receive two images that cannot be combined into one single, clear image.

A child's developing brain cannot process images when both eyes are not aligned in the same direction, so it ‘turns off’ the images sent by the weaker eye.  This is the brain's defense mechanism against confusion and double vision.

As the brain ‘turns off’ the weaker eye, this eye will eventually become 'lazy'—unless treatment is provided.

Anisometropia

Anisometropia is when the refractive powers (visual acuity) of your eyes differ markedly, causing your eyes to focus unevenly - rendering the visual signal from one eye to be much clearer than the other. The brain is unable to reconcile the different images each eye sends and chooses to process the visual signal from the eye sending the clearer image. The brain begins to overlook the eye sending the blurrier image, further weakening the eye-brain connection of the weaker eye. If not treated, this results in permanent poor vision in that eye.

Deprivation

Deprivation refers to a blockage or cloudiness of the eye. When an eye becomes cloudy, it directly impacts the eyes’ ability to send a clear image to the retina, harming the child's ability to see images clearly from that eye. When clear images can't reach the retina, it causes poor vision in that eye, resulting in amblyopia. Deprivation is by far the most serious kind of amblyopia, but it is also incredibly rare.

There are several types of deprivation: cataracts, cloudy corneas, cloudy lenses and eyelid tumors. Each of these can affect a child's vision, resulting in amblyopia. Because these are also difficult to notice from a child's behavior, it's crucial to have your child tested for eye-related problems so that treatment can begin right away.

How To Treat Amblyopia

The goal of most amblyopia treatments is to naturally strengthen the weaker eye so that your child's eyes can work and team with the brain more effectively. Amblyopia treatment will be determined by the cause and severity of their condition.

Common types of treatment include:

• Corrective eyewear

Vision Therapy

Vision therapy is the most effective treatment for amblyopia, which may be used in conjunction with other treatments.

A vision therapy program is customized to the specific needs of the patient. It may include the use of lenses, prisms, filters, occluders, and other specialized equipment designed to actively make the lazy eye work to develop stronger communication between the eye and the brain.

Vision therapy is highly successful for the improvement of binocular vision, visual acuity, visual processing abilities, depth perception and reading fluency.

Vision therapy programs for amblyopia may include eye exercises to improve these visual skills:

• Accommodation (focusing)
• Binocular vision (the eyes working together)
• Fixation (visual gaze)
• Pursuits (eye-tracking)
• Saccades (eye jumps)
• Spatial skills (eye-hand coordination)
• Stereopsis (3-D vision)

Contact Silicon Valley Eye Physicians to make an appointment and discover how vision therapy can help improve your child’s vision. Our eye doctor will ask about your child’s vision history, conduct a thorough evaluation, and take your child on the path to effective and lasting treatment.

Q: How do I know if my child has lazy eye?

• A: It’s difficult to recognize lazy eye because the condition usually develops in one eye, and may not present with a noticeable eye turn. As such, children generally learn how to ignore the lazy eye and compensate by mainly relying on the sight from the ‘good’ eye. Some symptoms of lazy eye include:
• - Closing one eye or squinting - Difficulty with fine eye movements - Poor depth perception - Poor eye-hand coordination - Reduced reading speed and comprehension - Rubbing eyes often

Q: How is lazy eye diagnosed ?

• A: Your child’s eye doctor will conduct specific tests during their eye exam, to assess the visual acuity, depth perception and visual skills of each eye.

Silicon Valley Eye Physicians serves patients from Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Mountain View, and Cupertino, all throughout California.

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Your Child Has A Lazy Eye: What Now?

As the parent of an infant, you’re used to noticing the unfocused gaze, which often includes a “lazy eye” as both eyes learn to focus on the world around them and connect with the optic nerve. For some babies and children, however, the weaker eye lets the stronger eye do the bulk of the focusing work. Over time, the weaker eye barely works at all, so it rolls inward or outward “lazily” attempting to focus.  

As a result, the weaker eye loses its ability to focus and contributes to overall vision loss for the child. This is why it’s so important to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician and get a  referral to an optometrist  if you notice any signs your child is struggling to see clearly.  

Schedule An Optometry Appointment At Age 3 & Before Kindergarten  

Regardless of whether your child has symptoms of a lazy eye or not, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), as well as the American Optometric Association (AOA), recommend that you schedule an appointment with an optometrist when s/he is six months old, again at three years old and definitely before kindergarten. At that point, everyone should have vision checks  every year – and more often if your optometrist recommends it due to your diagnosis.  

It’s easy to miss small signs a child can’t see well. However, the tools we have in the optometrist office (symbols, images, and shapes rather than letters) allow us to watch how the muscles of the eye are working (or not) as the child tries to focus on the images presented. In this process, we can see issues that may not show up via general home and life observation.  

A Lazy Eye Needs Energetic Attention From Parents Or Guardians  

Lazy eyes typically reveal themselves within the first few weeks to the first seven years of a child’s life. While that eye may be lazy, parents or guardians should act swiftly and energetically. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better chance your child has of getting the correct optical therapy, treatment, and/or vision prescription to prevent further vision loss or atrophy (wasting away or shrinking) of key eye muscles and functions.  

Unfortunately, it is difficult (and can become impossible) to successfully treat lazy eyes once patients reach the age of 17 years or older.  

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have your child’s eyes examined whenever you see signs indicating s/he is struggling to see. Eye issues, like all health issues, are almost always easier to treat sooner rather than later – preferably before age 17.  

According to the  Optometrists Network :  

A supported research study conducted by the National Institute of Health/National Eye Institute (NIH/NEI) has disproved the long-held belief that children with lazy eyes, or amblyopia, cannot be helped after a known cut-off age. In the past, the cut-off age for treating lazy eyes was said to be anywhere from seven to nine years.  

This research was conducted at 49 eye centers across the U.S., including the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Mayo Clinic, The Emory Eye Center, The Ohio State University, Southern California College of Optometry, and the State University of New York, College of Optometry.  

The study included 507 children between the ages of 7-17 and found that it is possible to improve eyesight even in children up to age 17.  

Signs of a lazy eye  

The most common signs of a lazy eye include:  

• Squinting . You’re witnessing their automatic response to diminished vision. Regular squinting isn’t normal in normal childhood vision development. This is always a sign that a baby, toddler, and child are struggling to see clearly.  
• Winking (one eye shut) . This look can be awfully endearing but, like squinting, it means that your child is struggling to focus.   
• Poor depth perception.  Once they start reaching, crawling, stepping – babies and toddlers with amblyopia may have difficulty judging accurate depth perception.  
• Tilting their head to see things. Like winking, this can also get lots of positive remarks from parents and loved ones because it’s adorable. Unfortunately, it’s another way their body is working to bring things into clear vision.  
• The eye rolling inward or outward . This is the ultimate sign of a lazy eye and can take time to develop as the weaker eye continues to get weaker.  
• Abnormal results from basic vision tests . Children with vision loss will have a harder time distinguishing shapes or symbols. Even if they’re too young to vocalize those things yet, we can tell whether their eyes are focusing properly or not through our phoropter and autorefractor divides.  

Risk factors for having a lazy eye  

While there is no way to predict, there are certain risk factors that elevate a person’s chances of having a lazy eye:  

• Family (genetic) history of amblyopia, cataracts, or other vision loss issues  
• Premature birth  
• Small birth weight  
• Developmental disabilities  

How To Treat Lazy Eyes (Amblyopia)  

If your child has amblyopia, there are a variety of corrective and/or treatment options available, depending on the severity of the lazy eye. While we say “weak eye” there is also a growing lack of connection between that eye and the brain that is essential to correct before the brain shuts that connection off altogether. Treatments always work to support both the eye  and  the eye-brain connection.  

We treat a lazy eye by:  

Putting a patch on the stronger eye. If we catch it early enough, and the weak eye is still strong enough to repair itself, we may use a patch. Your pirate-esque little one may not like it at first, but once s/he adjusts to it the patch will force the weaker eye to work harder – which builds strength in the muscles and nerves.  

Blurring drops for the strong eye. In a reverse version of that, we may use special drops to blur vision in the strong eye. This is used for babies and toddlers who are less likely to keep that patch on. It’s another way to get the weak eye to strengthen and to form a stronger connection to the optic nerve and brain.  

Corrective lenses. Your  child may need glasses . We’ll still use corrective therapies to strengthen their eye, but there may be other vision corrections that need to be addressed.  

Exercises (eyeball physical therapy!). There are eye exercises we’ll give you to work on with your little one once or multiple times a day to keep that lazy eye from giving up and rolling over. It’s like physical therapy for the eyeball and vision process.  

In extreme cases, your child may need surgery to realign the eye(s) so it has a better chance of getting back on track with the previously mentioned treatments. Typically, amblyopia only affects one eye. However, if both eyes are affected, simple outpatient surgery may be a first step – after which the treatments are exponentially more effective.  

Have questions about your child’s eyes or vision? Schedule a consultation with us here at the  Atlantic Eye Institute .  

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Third child in two weeks found wandering alone in Laredo

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - For the third time in two weeks, a child has been found wandering alone in Laredo.

Thursday morning, August 29, around 7 a.m., police issued an alert after an unclothed toddler, who appeared to be about two years old, was found walking near train tracks by Santa Isabel Avenue and Hidalgo Street.

Officers took care of the boy until his mother was found a little over an hour later. The case is still under investigation.

Earlier this week, another young child was found alone. Police discovered a little girl outside around 4 a.m. in the 2700 block of Diaz Street.

Back on August 13, another young girl was found near the H-E-B on Guadalupe Street . She was taken into police care until her parents were located.

In these cases, Laredo police reported that no charges or arrests were made. Police also confirmed that there have been other cases of lost children recently, but parents were found before any alerts were issued.

Police are urging parents and caregivers to keep a close eye on their children. Laredo Police Department spokesperson Joe Baeza stressed the importance of being vigilant.

“We need to be smarter than a two-year-old, so do whatever you need to do,” Baeza said. “You can find all kinds of alternative things, even something as inexpensive as buying just a higher chain on the door so the child can’t have access to it and prevent them from getting out without you hearing it. Even a door chime that you can audibly hear every time the door opens and closes.”

Baeza added that once parents are found, every case is looked into by Child Protective Services (CPS) to see if any charges need to be filed.

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