While many occurrences of amblyopia occur in children, many adults who suffer from lazy eye can be treated. Amblyopia is commonly associated with childhood eye conditions. Amblyopia can have negative implications on someone’s confidence, athletics, academics, or career, but individuals with the condition are now discovering that vision therapy may be an effective cure.
At the Michigan Eye Institute, our qualified eye physicians can provide vision therapy, which employs supervised exercises and procedures to enhance vision and eye health, to treat both adults and children with amblyopia.
What is Lazy Eye?
Reduced vision in one eye as a result of aberrant early visual development is known as lazy eye (amblyopia). The weaker or sluggish eye frequently looks away or inward. Typically, amblyopia occurs from infancy until age seven. It is the main reason why children’s vision is declining. Lazy eye seldom affects both eyes at once. Early detection and intervention can help shield your child’s eyes from long-term issues. Usually, patching treatment, contact lenses, or glasses can be used to fix the impaired eye. Without an eye exam, lazy eye might be difficult to detect.
Symptoms of Lazy Eye
The signs and symptoms of lazy eye include:
- An eye travels inside or outward.
- Eye coordination issues
- Poor depth perception.
- Squinting or closing one eye.
- Head tilting
- Abnormal outcomes of eyesight screening exams.
What Causes Lazy Eye?
A child with a lazy eye may experience hazy vision as well as crossed or drooping eyes. Muscle imbalance, refractive amblyopia, and strabismus amblyopia are common causes. An imbalance in the muscles that position the eyes, causing them to turn out or cross, is the cause of strabismus amblyopia.
Significant differences in the clarity of vision between the two eyes, usually brought on by nearsightedness or farsightedness, result in refractive amblyopia. These refractive issues are usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Lazy eye can also result from deprivation amblyopia, which is a clouded spot in the lens. Deprivation amblyopia in infants has to be treated very carefully to avoid irreversible visual loss.
The Misconception of Treating Lazy Eye in Adults
There is a common misconception that amblyopia in adults is a condition that cannot be treated. According to neuroscientist Sue Barry, as noted in her book Fixing My Gaze, since the mid-1990s, “scientific and medical communities have cited strabismus and a related disorder called amblyopia as classic examples of developmental disorders that cause permanent changes in vision if they are not corrected in a critical period in early life.” She states that this misunderstanding can likely be attributed to misinterpreting research conducted by Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel at Harvard Medical School. Wiesel and Hubel simulated deprivation amblyopia by depriving kittens of the use of one eye. As a result, they discovered that the brain will ignore signals from an improperly functioning eye and use only the image from the properly functioning eye.
However, this research has been extrapolated and misinterpreted by many physicians, implying that once vision develops within a critical period in childhood, visual skills become fixed and cannot be improved. Due to more recent studies, we now understand that the wiring of the brain may change at any age as a result of our experiences and behavior. For instance, treatment for amblyopia improved the visual acuity of children aged 7 to 17 years, according to a study supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI).
Treatment for Lazy Eye in Adults
Adult amblyopia, or lazy eye, can be treated in three different ways. Be aware that you could need one or more of these. In the end, it will rely on the specific diagnosis.
- Vision Therapy: A person can enhance their visual abilities through a series of exercises and activities called vision therapy. Vision therapy aids in the development of a person’s binocular vision in cases of amblyopia. Since it treats the underlying cause of amblyopia, this is the most successful course of treatment.
- Glasses: It may be necessary to prescribe prescription glasses to aid with binocular vision. As we said in an earlier piece, it’s crucial to have the proper lens prescription since it promotes binocular vision.
- Eye Patching: It may be necessary to use eye patches, prescription eye drops, or special glasses to block the preferred eye to force the weaker eye to function.
What Happens if Lazy Eye Remains Untreated?
If a lazy eye is not treated, it may never acquire normal vision or possibly become functionally blind, which causes permanent visual loss. Adults with sluggish eyes may suffer from excessive weariness, eye strain, and problems with depth perception and 3D vision, which can negatively impact their ability to work efficiently, enjoy sports, and participate in other enjoyable activities.
If left untreated, a lazy eye can also result in long-term problems with central vision and the development of other eye disorders, including strabismus, a disease where the eyes are not aligned properly. According to a National Eye Institute study, amblyopia is the main reason why Americans have trouble seeing with only one eye.
What Is Vision Therapy and How Does It Work?
Going to an eye doctor for vision therapy is like going to the gym for your eyes and your brain. Vision therapy is an effective treatment for lazy eyes in childhood, but it was previously only thought to work for children under the age of 10. However, studies funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) found that lazy eyes can be successfully treated even in adults.
Vision therapy is a customizable, individualized treatment program performed under the supervision of an eye doctor. This personalized program involves a series of progressive eye exercises to help you steadily develop normal visual skills that will improve the communication between your brain and your eyes. Sessions are usually once per week and last roughly 30-45 minutes. Your eye doctor will likely assign home eye exercises to reinforce skills worked on during the in-office therapy sessions. Commitment to weekly sessions and therapy homework assignments are essential for optimal results.
Want to Learn more About Lazy Eye and Vision Therapy?
To learn more about treatments for lazy eye, such as vision therapy, contact the experts at the Michigan Eye Institute. We are a nationally known eye clinic that focuses on patient care. We provide a wide range of eye exams, treatments, and optical services across our Michigan locations. Our clinic collaborates with area optometrists, hospitals, educational institutions, and primary care physicians to offer critical treatment to patients and their families. We provide comprehensive eye care, including quality cataract therapy, vision therapy, and vision correction solutions such as LASIK surgery and eyewear goods, allowing everyone to witness actual results.
If you or a loved one is suffering from amblyopia, call Michigan Eye Institute to set up an appointment with one of our doctors for critical eye tests, diagnosis, and treatment for a chance to restore your sight.
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