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Amblyopia
Amblyopia, informally called “lazy eye,” is reduced vision in an eye
due to abnormal visual development as a child.
Amblyopia is a condition in which an eye has reduced vision due to
Amblyopia (lazy eye) is a condition involving reduced vision in one eye
abnormal development of the visual pathways during childhood. due to abnormal development of the visual pathway during childhood.
When the brain receives poor information from one eye, it stops com- Eye receives light and encodes
municating with that eye. This means that the brain relies on infor- it into an electrical signal
Dominant eye
mation from the other, “stronger” eye. It is possible for amblyopia Nerve fibers transmit signal to visual cortex
to occur in both eyes.

Causes of Amblyopia Weakened eye

UNDERSIDE
OF BRAIN
Amblyopia can be present at birth, but children may also develop
it as they grow. Amblyopia can be caused by other eye problems, such
as refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness), strabismus or Weak signal Visual cortex
processes signal
squint (when the eyes do not move together as a pair), and cata- into an image
racts. In some cases, the cause is a combination of these factors.
Recognizing amblyopia
Children do not often realize they are having trouble seeing, but sometimes
Symptoms of Amblyopia exhibit behavioral signs or other indications.
Amblyopia most commonly occurs in children. It can be difficult for Tilting head Closing one eye Strabismus: misalignment
children to explain to their parents or doctors that they are having of the eyes that may be
Squinting associated with amblyopia
trouble seeing. They also may not notice limited vision in one eye
because they use their stronger eye for most tasks. Parents may no-
tice that their child is clumsy because of poor depth perception. They
may also notice other habits like squinting, shutting one eye, or tilt-
Treatment for amblyopia
ing the head to see well. In infants, parents may notice that their child
Most solutions involve reducing vision in the dominant eye to force
cries when they cover one eye. This is because the child cannot see the brain to rely on the weak eye and improve its function.
as well if the better-seeing eye is covered. Eyeglasses: used
to improve vision
in the weaker eye
Screening for Amblyopia Eye patch:
A child’s pediatrician performs vision screenings at each well-child visit Eye drops: worn over the
blur vision in stronger eye
frombirthtoage18years.Ifthepediatrician,familymembers,orteach- the stronger eye
ers have concerns about a child’s vision, the child should be referred
A pediatrician can perform a vision screening
to a pediatric ophthalmologist for care. It is important for a child to be to check for signs of amblyopia.
referred as soon as there are any concerns about their vision because
it becomes more difficult to treat amblyopia as children age.
It can take months to years to fully correct the condition, and some
Treatment of Amblyopia children require more treatment as time goes on. In some children,
If a patient’s amblyopia is caused by one of the vision problems de- treatment may never be fully successful.
scribed above, it may be best to treat that condition first. For ex-
ample, strabismus caused by a refractive error may be improved with
eyeglasses. The next step is to work on training the brain to use the FOR MORE INFORMATION
weaker eye again to help it get stronger. This may be done with an National Eye Institute
eye patch over the stronger eye. This forces the brain to use the other www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-
eye and help it get stronger. If children struggle with using the eye diseases/amblyopia-lazy-eye
patch daily, an eye drop (atropine) can be used for a similar effect.

Authors: Malcolm M. Kates, BS, BA; Casey J. Beal, MD
Author Affiliations: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.
Sources: US Preventive Services Task Force. Vision screening in children aged 6
months to 5 years: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.
JAMA. 2017;318(9):836-844. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.11260
Solebo AL, Cumberland PM, Rahi JS. Whole-population vision screening in children
aged 4-5 years to detect amblyopia. Lancet. 2015;385(9984):2308-2319. doi:10.1016/
S0140-6736(14)60522-5
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