Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

Amblyopia is more than just an eye problem; it is a neurological condition of the brain’s inability to use both eyes together as a team, so one eye becomes very dominant over the other. This can be due to one or both eyes having a very large prescription, one eye pointing off-target (strabismus), or something physically blocking visual development (e.g. congenital cataract).

Research shows that the condition is more than just poor eyesight, Amblyopia symptoms include:

  • Eyesight worse than 20/20

  • Poor depth perception

  • Monocular vision (the amblyopic eye is ignored by the brain, and only use the better eye)

  • Contrast sensitivity

  • Eye focusing (zoom in up close and relax far away)

  • Eye movements (track words accurately across the page)

  • Visual perception (processing visual information)

  • Motion processing (motion sickness)

Patching Is Okay, Vision Therapy Is Much More Comprehensive

 
 

Treatment Options

Traditional treatment consists of patching to improve eyesight, but modern research shows vision therapy is the better and more comprehensive treatment approach. Simply patching will help the amblyopic eye see better when it is forced to, but once the patch is removed the patient goes back to only using their better eye. It’s not that patching is bad, but vision therapy is just so much better!

Someone with amblyopia will always have one eye that is more dominant than the other. However, thanks to the latest research on neuroplasticity and our brain’s incredible resilience and eagerness to learn, it is never too late to start treatment.

During vision therapy, patients will use Vivid Vision virtual reality along with several other specialized tools to help develop the ability to use both eyes together as a team.