{"id":9738,"date":"2021-02-06T19:35:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T19:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=9738"},"modified":"2021-07-26T08:01:18","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T08:01:18","slug":"lazy-eyes-need-binocular-vision-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-lazy-eye\/lazy-eyes-need-binocular-vision-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazy Eyes Need Binocular Vision Therapy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vision therapy has been shown to be the most effective solution for lazy eye, as it treats the underlying cause of the condition.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

A lazy eye<\/a> can develop when the neural connections between the affected eye and the brain are weakened, and the visual signals from that eye cannot be interpreted or processed efficiently.<\/p>\n

As a result, the brain begins to actively <\/i>ignore the visual information coming from the affected eye to avoid blurry or double vision (diplopia)<\/a>.\u00a0 This is called suppression<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Binocular vision therapy<\/a> is essential to teach the two eyes to work together and prevent suppression of the lazy eye.<\/b><\/p>\n

If not treated effectively, suppression can lead to an eye turn (strabismus)<\/a>, and in some cases, unilateral vision loss.<\/p>\n

Different methods of lazy eye treatment<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Prescription eyewear<\/b><\/h3>\n

Amblyopia that develops from a significantly high refractive error may be corrected with optical lenses<\/a>. These lenses help to correct the refractive error and provide the lazy eye with the best vision possible.<\/p>\n

Studies indicate that while this type of passive treatment<\/i> can improve visual acuity, it does not treat the underlying cause of the lazy eye.<\/p>\n

Therefore, in most cases, a program of vision therapy<\/a> is usually prescribed in combination with the corrective eyewear, to retrain the neural connections between the lazy eye and the brain.<\/p>\n

2. Eye patching<\/b><\/h3>\n

Although eye patching for lazy eye has been common practice for the last 300 years, it is no longer the most effective treatment for lazy eye.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Eye patching involves placing an eye patch over the stronger eye to actively encourage the lazy eye to work. This theory holds that through patching of the \u201cgood\u201d eye, the brain will begin to acknowledge and interpret the visual input coming from the lazy eye, thereby recovering vision.<\/p>\n

However, in many cases, patching has been linked to lazy eye regression, since patching alone cannot repair the visual system and neural connections\u2014 the underlying cause of lazy eye.<\/p>\n

As a result, eye patching is usually prescribed in combination with a program of vision therapy.<\/p>\n

If your child has been diagnosed with lazy eye, contact an eye doctor<\/a> near you, who can discuss the best treatment options.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEE RELATED:<\/strong> \u201cLazy Eyes\u201d Are Not Lazy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t

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Find a Vision Therapy Eye Doctor Near You<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t
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