Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to process inputs from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that otherwise typically appears normal. Amblyopia is the most common cause of decreased vision in a single eye among children and younger adults.

Symptoms

Symptoms of amblyopia can be hard to notice. Kids with amblyopia may have poor depth perception - they have trouble telling how near or far something is. Parents may also notice signs that their child is struggling to see clearly, like:

• Squinting
• Shutting 1 eye
• Tilting their head

What causes amblyopia?

Some eye conditions that lead to amblyopia:

• Refractive error
  • These include common vision problems like nearsightedness (having trouble seeing far away), farsightedness (having trouble seeing things up close), and astigmatism (which can cause blurry vision). Normally, these problems are easy to fix with glasses or contacts. But if they’re not treated, the brain may start to rely more on the eye with stronger vision.
• Strambismus
  • Usually, the eyes move together as a pair. But in kids with strabismus, the eyes don’t line up. One eye might drift in, out, up, or down.
• Cataract
  • This causes cloudiness in the lens of the eye, making things look blurry. While most cataracts happen in older people, babies and children can also develop cataracts.