Category: Amblyopia

Congenital Cataract Can Lead to Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)

Young girl with lazy eye - amblyopiaA cataract is defined as  a clouding of the lens of the eye that is usually associated with aging. However, approximately 1 in 250 newborns in the US have a cataract on at least one eye at birth, or develop a cataract soon after they are born. While many cases of congenital cataracts are detected and treated quickly, it is estimated that up to 1/3rd of older children diagnosed with a cataract had it at undetected at birth. Early treatment is crucial for the brain to develop normally, and to prevent lazy eye (amblyopia) and other vision problems.

The reasons for congenital cataracts in newborns may include infection (especially measles during pregnancy), genetics, metabolic problems, inflammation, diabetes, trauma or reactions to drugs. Common tetracycline antibiotics taken during pregnancy can cause cataracts in the developing baby. Older children can get pediatric cataracts for reasons comparable to the ones above; eye injuries such as a blow to the eye are more typically the cause, associated with 40% of pediatric cataracts cases.

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New Device Makes “Lazy Eye” Test for Children Easier

Lazy Eye Test
Image via NIH.gov

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a condition that affects 3-5% of children.  Early detection is key, and a new test developed by doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston looks to determine whether kids as young as 2 years old have the condition in just a few seconds.  Amblyopia is potentially blinding because the brain will actually lose the ability to process visual information from the weaker eye.  It is important that toddlers and preschoolers get tested because it is often too late to fully correct the problem in school aged children.

This new device called the Pediatric Vision Scanner appears in a July 7 article in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.  The tool uses laser technology to measure the eyes’ alignment.  Source: Medical News Today, July 9, 2011

Learn more about binocular conditions that affect the eyes’ ability to effectively work together.

Teaching Eyes to Work Together: Treatment for Amblyopia or Lazy Eye

Depth perception, the ability to see our 3D world, relies on the eyes’ ability to work as a perfect team.  In people with an eye imbalance or amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, one team member (one eye) is stronger than the other and depth perception becomes compromised.

Push Pull Training Method

A study published in Current Biology presents a new way to correct sensory eye dominance.  Researchers call it a “push-pull training method” that proved to improve depth perception in study participants.

When caught early, amblyopia (lazy eye) in children can be corrected through covering the stronger eye so that the weaker eye is forced to do the work of seeing.  This new method is focused on adults who do not respond as well to such strategies.  The researchers’ new approach involves making the two eyes compete to see an image but giving the weaker eye an advantage so that it learns how to win, so to speak.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Acupuncture Treatment for Lazy Eye

Chinese medicine is a key aspect of our treatment plan at Natural Eye Care, and acupuncture is one of the best tools we have in our medicine chest.

A new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology finds that acupuncture can help treat lazy eye or amblyopia.

It is vital that amblyopia is diagnosed and treated early – up to age 7 is ideal.  Between ages 7 and 12 the chances of remedying lazy eye with the traditional method – patching the “good” eye so the affected eye learns to work harder – is reduced to a 30% effective rate.

The Chinese researchers who published this study found that acupuncture alone was more effective than eye patching.  In 41.5% of the children who received acupuncture the lazy eye was considered “resolved” compared to only 16.7% of kids whose eyes were patched.

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Neurological Cause

Researchers at New York University have found a neurological cause for amblyopia.

Amblyopia is actually the result of developmental problems in the brain and its neurons, rather than the eye itself.  Also, they have found that the issue is not only related to problems in the visual cortex (the part of the brain that processes images), but from other parts of the brain as well.

For more on binocular conditions, visit our website.

New Technology to Diagnose “Lazy Eye” in Children

Amblyopia or “lazy eye” can lead to vision loss in a person’s weaker eye if it goes untreated.  Luckily, if amblyopia is diagnosed and worked on before age seven, more than three quarters of children can achieve at least 23/30 vision.

Because there are concerns that caregivers can miss the signs of amblyopia, experts are looking into a better way to diagnose the problem.

A program in Iowa sponsored by he University of Iowa and the Iowa Lions Clubs worked together over the last decade to screen almost 150,000 children using technology called the PhotoScreener.  According to the source of this story, MedicalNewsToday.com, this device “records the pattern of light reflected through each of the child’s pupils as the child’s eyes are photographed.”

The PhotoScreener is also helpful in finding such conditions as  unequal visual acuity between the two eyes (anisometropia), high nearsightedness, high farsightedness, astigmatism, and strabismus.

For more on ways that Vision Therapy can help amblyopia and other eye convergence problems, please visit our website.

Eye Problems in Babies and Children: What To Look For

Eye and Vision Milestones in Infants
Babies older than 3 months should be able to follow or “track” an object as it moves across their field of vision.  If your baby is unable to hold steady eye contact by this time or seems unable to see, let your pediatrician know. Eye-crossing is common in babies before 4 months of age, especially when they are eating.  Eyes that cross all the time or one eye that turns out is often indicative of a problem and should be brought to your doctor’s attention.

Vision Problems in Toddlers
Eye misalignment is called strabismus and is a reason to call the pediatrician right away.  Other vision problems include lazy eye or amblyopia, which has no warning signs and may not effect your child’s vision.

The following problems should prompt a conversation with a pediatrician or an eye professional for children of any age:

White, grayish-white, or yellow-colored material in the pupil
  • Eyes that flutter quickly from side-to-side or up-and-down
  • Bulging eye(s)
  • Persistent eye pain, itching, or discomfort
  • Redness in either eye that doesn’t go away in a few days
  • Pus or crust in either eye
  • Eyes that are always watery
  • Drooping eyelid(s)
  • Excessive rubbing or squinting of the eyes
  • Eyes that are always sensitive to light
  • Any change in the eyes from how they usually look

Source: HealthyChildren.org

 

Acupuncture Can Cure Lazy Eye in Children

Researchers have discovered that acupuncture can help children suffering from “lazy eye” or amblyopia.

Researchers at Chinese University of Hong Kong and the International Eye Center of Shantou University have discovered that acupuncture can help children suffering from “lazy eye” or amblyopia.  The children received acupuncture on five points five days a week for 25 weeks.  The treatment provides a 40-60% chance of curing the condition that occurs when a healthy eye does not receive the correct signals from the brain.

Learn more on lazy eye and other binocular conditions.

 

Current and Future Treatment Options for Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a common childhood eye disorder in which the brain favors vision in one eye.

Amblyopia is a common childhood eye disorder in which the brain favors vision in one eye. Current treatment involves wearing a patch over the dominant eye in order to force the brain to use the other eye. Clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health have provided more concrete guidelines for wearing an eye patch: most can wear a patch for just two hours a day while the most severe cases require six hours of patch wearing (not full time as was once directed).

In the future, functional MRI technology is expected to help cure this neurologic disorder. Because recent research show that this condition may have genetic origins, future preventative therapies may be developed.

Source reference: National Institutes of Health