Childrens Eyecare – Amblyopia – Lazy Eye – Glasses for Children
Blackrock Eye Care provides services in all types of ophthalmic conditions including Laser Eye Surgery, Cataracts, and Amblyopia. Read more here.
childrens eyecare, amblyopia, lazy eye, glasses for children
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Amblyopia

Advanced Intervention and Expertise for your Child's Vision

Amblyopia

Amblyopia is reduced vision in one or both eyes caused by abnormal visual development in childhood. Even with glasses the eye is unable to see clearly. It is often treatable with glasses and patching. The term “lazy eye” is often used to describe amblyopia.

Amblyopia affects 2% – 4% of all children. There is frequently a family history of amblyopia or strabismus in the family. Amblyopia may be mild moderate or severe.

What Causes Amblyopia?
The causes of amblyopia are varied and include:

  • Strabismus (crossed-eyes, squint). This is a misalignment of the eyes, i.e. one eye is oriented straight ahead and the second is pointed towards the nose (inwards) or the temple (outwards). When the eyes are not aligned, the child’s brain will often use the correctly aligned eye to see with and the other will be “shut off” or “suppressed”. This prevents the child from seeing two images. The eye that is crossed is therefore not used and the part of the brain dedicated to vision in this eye becomes dormant and amblyopia develops.
  • Anisometropia. This refers to an unequal optical focusing power of each eye. The eye with the most defocused image is used less and amblyopia can develop. This is treated with glasses and occasionally patching. This type of amblyopia often responds well to treatment.
  • Visual deprivation. Any condition that blocks light getting into the back of the eye and stimulating the retina (the photographic camera at the back of the eye) can cause amblyopia. Such conditions include congenital cataracts, corneal opacities or droopy eyelids (ptosis). Even if the underlying disease is corrected with the appropriate surgery, amblyopia may persist.

How is Amblyopia detected?
The presence of strabismus (squint) or a droopy eyelid will often be associated with amblyopia and needs an examination by an ophthalmologist. Amblyopia however may not be obvious if the child’s external eye appearance is normal and is only detected by visual acuity testing of each eye separately

Making the Diagnosis
The ophthalmologist performs all of the necessary tests to confirm that your child has amblyopia.

Vision testing is accomplished with the appropriate methods for your child’s age.

An examination with eye drops that dilate the pupils is generally performed. This permits an evaluation of the internal ocular structures and allows a determination as to whether or not there is a need for eyeglasses.

Children’s Eyecare Menu

Testimonials

  • For years my son suffered from his squint. When we finally sought treatment, we went to Blackrock Eye Care and the team were fantastic to Mark. He had his treatment and has never looked back, it was life-changing!

    Pamela Byrne

  • Our son Jack (15 months) had a turn in his eye and from the very first appointment with Ms McCreery, we had full confidence in her and of the quality of the treatment Jack would receive. We have had this confidence reinforced at every appointment. Ms McCreery is an absolute expert in working with children and diagnosed immediately the issue and identified a course of action for Jack which involved a surgical procedure. As parents, this was a daunting experience however Ms MCreery’s whole surgical and nursing team were incredible in their attention and thoughtfulness for us and this made all the difference to our experience. The surgery has been a huge success and we are delighted with the outcome. I cannot express enough my gratitude to Ms McCreery and her team and we would highly recommend her to any parent.

    Sean Flynn