Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a developmental problem in the brain, not a problem with the eye's structure. During early childhood, if one eye sends a blurry or double image to the brain (due to strabismus, refractive error, or visual deprivation), the brain learns to ignore or "shut off" that eye's input to avoid confusion. This leads to poor vision development in that eye.

Disease

Symptoms

A child may not complain because they see normally with their stronger eye. Signs include an eye that wanders, poor vision, poor depth perception, squinting, or tilting the head. The key risk factor is any condition that prevents clear, focused vision in one eye during early childhood.

Diagnosis

An eye doctor will check vision in each eye separately, even in young children, using picture charts or other methods of vision assessment. They will also perform a full exam to find the underlying cause (like strabismus or a large difference in prescription between the two eyes).

Treatments

Treatment is most effective when started early in childhood. The goal is to force the brain to use the weaker eye. This is done by: 1) Patching the stronger eye for several hours a day. 2) Using atropine eye drops to temporarily blur the stronger eye. 3) First correcting any underlying refractive error with glasses.

More to read

Disease

Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural, clear lens. Think of it as a clear window that slowly becomes frosted. This clouding scatters light, preventing a sharp image from reaching the retina. It is most commonly related to aging. However, some forms of congenital cataract are seen in children.

Disease

Refractive Error

Refractive error means that your eye does not focus light ideally onto the retina, resulting in a blurred image on the retina. This condition is not a disease, but a common problem with light focusing. Its main types include myopia (nearsightedness: nearby objects are clear while distant objects appear blurry), hyperopia (farsightedness: distance vision may be clearer than near vision), and astigmatism (vision is blurry at all distances due to an irregularly shaped cornea).

Disease

Night Blindness

Night blindness is a symptom, not a disease. It means your eyes have trouble adapting to low light. This is often due to a problem with the rod cells in your retina, which are responsible for night and peripheral vision.

Disease

Color Blindness

Most color blindness is not complete blindness to color, but a difficulty telling certain colors apart. It is usually an inherited condition (more common in males) present from birth. It happens when certain light-sensitive cone cells in your retina don't work properly. The most common type is trouble distinguishing reds from greens.

Disease

Retinopathy of Prematurity

ROP is a disease that affects premature infants. In the womb, the retinal blood vessels grow late in pregnancy. When a baby is born very early, this normal growth is interrupted. After birth, abnormal, fragile blood vessels may begin to grow in the retina. These vessels can leak and scar, potentially pulling the retina off (detachment).

Disease

Retinal Detachment

A retinal detachment is a medical emergency. It occurs when the retina peels away from the back wall of the eye, like wallpaper bubbling off a wall. When detached, the retina cannot function, leading to vision loss.