Expert Voices - American Academy of Ophthalmology

What is Amblyopia?
Causes and Symptoms of Amblyopia
Treatment of Amblyopia

Treatment of Amblyopia

To correct amblyopia, the child must be forced to use the lazy eye. This is usually done by patching or covering the good eye, often for weeks or months. Part-time patching may be required over a period of years to maintain improvement even after vision has been restored.

Glasses may be prescribed to correct errors or imbalance in focusing. If glasses alone do not improve vision, then patching is necessary. Occasionally, amblyopia is treated by blurring the vision in the good eye with special eye drops or optical lenses to force the child to use the amblyopic eye.

If an abnormality such as a cataract is discovered, surgery is required to correct the problem. After surgery, glasses, contact lenses or other methods can be used to restore focusing along with patching to improve vision. Amblyopia usually is treated prior to surgery for misaligned eyes, and is frequently needed after surgery as well.

If amblyopia is not treated, several things may occur:

The ophthalmologist can instruct parents about how to treat amblyopia, but it is the parent's responsibility to carry out this treatment. No child likes to have a good eye patched, but parents must convince their child to do what is best. Successful treatment depends mostly on the parent's interest and involvement to gain their child's cooperation.

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