Amblyopia

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Amblyopia
Synonyms	Lazy eye
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	Ophthalmology
Symptoms	Poor vision in one eye
Complications	N/A
Onset	Early childhood
Duration	Long term
Types	N/A
Causes	Strabismus, refractive error, cataract
Risks	Family history, premature birth
Diagnosis	Eye examination
Differential diagnosis	Refractive error, strabismus
Prevention	Early detection and treatment
Treatment	Corrective lenses, eye patching, atropine drops
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	Good with early treatment
Frequency	1-5% of the population
Deaths	N/A

Amblyopia, commonly referred to as lazy eye, represents the most frequent cause of vision impairment in children. It is a medical condition in which the brain and one eye fail to work together effectively, despite the eye appearing normal. This results in diminished vision in the affected eye as the brain favors the other eye.

One lazy eye

Lazyeye

Causes of Amblyopia

Amblyopia is typically brought about by conditions such as:

• Strabismus: A condition where the eyes do not align correctly, with one or both eyes turning inward, outward, upward, or downward.
• Refractive Anisometropia: This is when there's a significant difference in the refractive errors of the two eyes, leading to one eye being more nearsighted (myopia), farsighted, or having more astigmatism than the other.
• Other Eye Conditions: Less frequently, conditions such as cataract (a clouding of the eye's lens) can cause amblyopia.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Early detection and treatment of amblyopia are crucial for successful outcomes, as the condition typically persists into adulthood if left untreated during childhood. Screening for amblyopia is a routine part of pediatric eye exams. Treatment strategies aim to stimulate the affected eye and encourage the brain to utilize it. This can be achieved by:

• Corrective Eyewear: Glasses or contact lenses may be used to correct refractive errors.
• Patching: Covering the stronger eye with a patch to force the brain to rely on the weaker one.
• Pharmacological Therapy: Atropine eye drops may be used to blur the vision in the stronger eye, encouraging use of the weaker one.

Epidemiology

Amblyopia affects approximately 2%–3% of the population, making it a prevalent cause of monocular vision impairment among children and adults in their young and middle ages.

Topics in Ophthalmology

• Macular degeneration (AMD)
• Amblyopia
• Anophthalmia and * Microphthalmia
• Astigmatism
• Blepharitis
• Cataract
• Color blindness
• Cornea and Corneal disease
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Dry eye
• Floaters
• Glaucoma
• Hyperopia
• Intracranial hypertension
• Low vision
• Macular edema
• Myopia
• Pink Eye or Conjunctivitis
• Presbyopia
• Refractive errors
• Retinal detachment
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Retinoblastoma
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Uveitis
• Vitreous detachment

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National Eye Institute Eye Topics A Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Age-Related Eye Disease Study--Results Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Facts About AGI Seminar Series in Neuroregeneration Amblyopia Amblyopia Treatment Study (ATS I) Amblyopia, Facts About Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia, Facts About Astigmatism Astigmatism, Facts About Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) B Behçet’s Disease of the Eye, Facts About Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy, Facts About Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Biochemistry Section Bioinformatics Group Biological Imaging Core Facility Blepharitis Blepharitis, Facts About Blepharospasm Blepharospasm, Facts About C Career Information for Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellows Cataract Cataract, Facts About Children's Materials Clinical and Translational Imaging Unit Clinical Immunology Clinical Studies Clinical Trials in Vision Research Color Blindness Color Blindness, Facts About Cornea and Corneal Disease Cornea and Corneal Disease, Facts About The D Diabetic Eye Disease Diabetic Retinopathy, Facts About Diagram of the Eye Diagram of the Eye Before and After Dilated Eye Exam Dry Eye Dry Eye, Fact about E Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial (EMGT) Experimental Immunology Section Eye Health Information Eye Movements and Visual Selection, Section on eyeGENE® F Facts About Lighthouse International Fax Numbers Financial Aid for Eye Care Finding an Eye Care Professional Fiscal Operations Plan Floaters Floaters, Facts About

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R Rare Diseases Refractive Errors Refractive Errors, Facts About Regulation of Gene Expression Section Report on the NEI Audacious Goals Initiative: Regenerating the Optic Nerve Research at NEI Retinal Detachment Retinal Detachment, Facts About Retinal Disease Retinal Ganglion Cell Biology, Section on Retinitis Pigmentosa Retinitis Pigmentosa, Facts About Retinoblastoma Retinoblastoma, Facts About Retinopathy of Prematurity Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), Facts About S Sayer Vision Research Lecture and Award Series See Well for a Lifetime Toolkit—Module 1 See Well for a Lifetime Toolkit—Module 2 See Well for a Lifetime Toolkit—Module 3 Sensation, Cognition and Action Section Simulations, Eye Disease Symposium: Immunology of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) T Third-Party Websites and Applications (TPWA)[2] U Usher Syndrome Usher Syndrome,Facts About Uveal Coloboma Uveal Coloboma, Facts About Uveitis Uveitis, Facts About V Vision-Related Terms--Selected Online Sources Vitreous Detachment Vitreous Detachment, Facts About W World Glaucoma Week Y You Could Have Glaucoma and Not Know it YouTube Videos

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