What is Lazy Eye?
Lazy Eye is poor vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood. The medical term for this condition is “amblyopia”. When one eye develops good vision and the other does not, the eye with the poorer vision is called “amblyopic”. Usually, only one eye is affected. Amblyopia has three major causes: strabismus (misaligned eyes), unequal focus (refractive error), or cloudiness in the normally clear eye tissues. To correct lazy eye, a child must be made to use the weak eye. This is usually accomplished by patching or otherwise covering the stronger eye, often for weeks or months. Glasses may also be prescribed to improve focusing.
“Lazy eye” is a common term that refers to eyes that cross. Crossed eyes can result from various causes. Some people are born this way, while others develop weaknesses in the muscles, or the nerves to the muscles, of their eyes later on in life. These intrinsic weaknesses lead the eyes to have a crossed appearance and sometimes can result in a sensation of double vision.
