Amblyopia or “lazy eye” is one of the most common vision problems in children. And it can be difficult for parents, and even pediatricians, to spot. At Nemours, our pediatric ophthalmologists are trained to offer early, age-appropriate childhood vision screenings to catch eye problems, like amblyopia, before they can cause issues later on in your child’s visual health.
Jacksonville
Nemours Children's Clinic, Jacksonville
807 Children’s Way
Jacksonville, FL 32207
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Phone: (904) 697-3600
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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- photo ID
- medical and pharmacy insurance cards
- preferred pharmacy name and phone number
- names and dosage of all medications, including over-the-counter medication, your child is currently taking
- guardianship and custody papers, if a legal guardian rather than a parent accompanies your child
New Patients
Bring these forms for your first appointment:
- Authorization for Treatment and Release of Information (PDF)
- Assignment of Benefits (PDF)
- Notice of Limited Liability (PDF)
Returning Patients
- Patient Presents without Legal Guardian (PDF)
Note: A parent or legal guardian must be with a child for a first visit.
New Patient Forms
- Authorization for Treatment and Release of Information (PDF)
- Assignment of Benefits (PDF)
- Notice of Limited Liability (PDF)
Returning Patient Forms
- Patient Presents without Legal Guardian (PDF)
Note: A parent or legal guardian must be with a child for a first visit.
Resources for Patients & Families
- Insurance We Accept: See accepted insurance, listed by location
- Pay Your Bill: Use online bill pay or send by mail
- Financial Assistance: Help with your child's health care expenses
- MyNemours: Access your child’s medical record online
If left untreated, amblyopia can cause permanent loss of vision. Because your child’s vision usually stabilizes at age 9 or 10 and after that may not improve much with treatment, Nemours ophthalmologists encourage early, age-appropriate childhood vision screenings.
How We Treat Amblyopia
Amblyopia treatment may involve prescription glasses, occlusion therapy (covering one eye with a patch) or blurring the vision in one eye with atrophine drops.
Blocking or blurring the vision in the “good eye” with a patch or with eye drops (which don’t sting) helps stimulate the brain to learn to use the other eye. It usually takes a few weeks for your child’s vision to improve and the best results may be achieved over several months depending on the child’s age and level of vision. Maintenance treatment until 9-10 years of age may also be necessary.
Surgery may be used to treat strabismus (only one cause of amblyopia), but it is often not performed before treating the amblyopia with patches, glasses, and/or atropine.
