MyNemours Sign-InAmblyopia 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 provide early, age-appropriate vision screenings to catch eye problems, like lazy eye in children, before they can impact your child’s visual health.
Amblyopia is responsible for more vision loss in children than any other causes. With amblyopia, vision is decreased when one eye (or both) sends a blurry image to the brain. The brain then “learns” to see blurry and essentially “turns off” that eye to favor the stronger eye.
Underlying causes of lazy eye in children may include refractive errors such as astigmatism or farsightedness, strabismus (a misaligned eye) or a cataract (cloudiness of the lens). Treatment for amblyopia involves strengthening vision by forcing the brain to see images in the blurry eye.
Often there are no readily identifiable symptoms of lazy eye since kids usually don’t notice a difference in vision. However, if your child struggles in school or athletics, an ophthalmologic disorder like amblyopia might be the cause.