{"id":933,"date":"2020-03-28T18:03:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T18:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=933"},"modified":"2021-07-28T09:28:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T09:28:32","slug":"amblyopia-lazy-eye","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-lazy-eye\/amblyopia-lazy-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Lazy Eye?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Amblyopia, commonly known as a \u201clazy eye\u201d, is a neuro-developmental vision condition that begins in early childhood, usually before age eight. <\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Lazy eye develops when one eye is unable to achieve normal visual acuity, causing blurry vision in the affected eye, even with corrective eyewear.\u00a0 The condition also commonly presents with poor depth perception and reading difficulties.<\/p>\r\n

According to research, amblyopia affects up to 1 in 33 of the population\u2014 t<\/strong>his means up to 10 million people in the U.S. may have a lazy eye.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Amblyopia is the most prevalent neuro-developmental vision condition that affects the vision of up to three percent of the population. While the condition typically presents in early childhood, a lazy eye can develop later on in life as well.<\/p>\r\n

What causes amblyopia?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Amblyopia is diagnosed when the neural connections between the lazy eye and the brain have been affected. A healthy eye-brain connection can be compared to a multi-lane highway \u2014the eye sends visual signals to the brain to be interpreted, and the brain sends signals back to the eye to enable clear vision.<\/p>\r\n

However, in the case of amblyopia, the \u201chighway\u201d does not work as a multi-lane road due to a disconnect in the visual pathways. Therefore, the connection between the brain and the lazy eye may present similar to a one-lane street, or even a walking track.<\/p>\r\n

Is there a critical period in amblyopia?<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

The \u201ccritical\u201d period of visual development<\/a> begins from birth and continues until around six years of age\u2014 when the maturation of the nerves connecting the brain and eyes are developing rapidly. During this time, anything that interferes with this new innervation can cause a lazy eye, as it prevents the simultaneous use of both eyes together (binocular vision), which can cause total suppression of one eye.<\/p>\r\n

Risk factors<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

Factors associated with increased risk of lazy eye include:<\/p>\r\n