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Catch lazy eye before it is too late!
 When it comes to eye problems, early detection and intervention can mean a full recovery, particularly in cases of amblyopia, also called lazy eye. This condition, which occurs in young children when visual development in the brain is impaired, can be successfully treated if it is diagnosed preferably before the age of six. It is characterised by blurred vision in one or both eyes, even with glasses.
Beyond this age, amblyopia becomes less amenable to treatment and could become permanent. On the other hand, if the child has not developed amblyopia by this age, it is highly unlikely that he will develop it.
“It is important to intervene early for many childhood eye problems. Early detection is key for a full recovery,” stresses Karen Zhang, an orthoptist at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). She notes that while a squint (misalignment of the eye) is an entirely separate medical condition, “it increases one’s risk of getting a lazy eye”.
Doctors at SNEC see about 250 new cases of amblyopia every year, with patients ranging in age from as young as three months to 14 years. The average age of amblyopia patients is 5.1 years.
How do I know my child has amblyopia?
Amblyopia is typically detected during an eye check-up. Unless there is an obvious problem with vision, or an apparent squint or a droopy eyelid, an eye check-up should be carried out around the age of four, health professionals advise. It is an age where the brain is still developing and learning to see, therefore amblyopia is still treatable.
In a typical eye examination for children, eye professionals will check if:
- Both eyes have normal vision
- Both eyes have normal movement
- Both eyes let light in normally
The main causes of amblyopia are uncorrected high refractive error (astigmatism, hyperopia, myopia) and squint. A minority are due to conditions that block vision, such as, droopy eyelids and childhood cataracts. “When the child sees a blurred image with one eye and a clear image with the other eye, his or her brain will begin to ignore the blurred image and depend more and more on the normal eye. If this continues during early childhood, the vision in the blurred eye may deteriorate further, causing amblyopia,” says Dr Yvonne Ling, senior consultant ophthalmologist with the Paediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Service at SNEC.
Eye patching and other treatment methods
Amblyopia can be treated in a number of ways, depending on the severity of the condition. Treatment can include:
- Placing an eye patch over the good eye for several hours every day to force reliance on the bad eye. The eye patch treatment can take months and even years. Persistence is essential for a cure.
- Using eye drops to blur the vision in the good eye. This is particularly effective in mild cases.
- If light is being blocked from entering the eye, surgery might be recommended to remove the block.
- In the case of strabismus or squint, surgery might be used on the eye muscles.
Typically, children with amblyopia will need to wear spectacles to correct their vision, even though they may be undergoing other treatment methods.
“Patching of the good eye is a common treatment for a lazy eye,” says Karen Zhang. The trick for parents is to persist with it, particularly in the initial stage, which can be the most difficult.” |
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