There are many different types of eye conditions that a child can have, and many eye conditions start to occur in early childhood. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your child’s development and to look for signs of potential eye conditions so that your child can get the treatment that they need as early on as possible. One of the most common eye conditions often seen in children is amblyopia. Here is some information regarding amblyopia and what to know about it: Pediatric Ophthalmologists Bloomington MN
What Is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia–also known as “lazy eye”–is an eye condition that can result in reduced vision in one eye due to abnormal visual development early on in one’s life. When the nerve pathways between your brain and one of your eyes aren’t properly stimulated, your brain can start to favor the other eye, which can result in imbalanced development when it comes to one’s eyesight/vision. The weaker eye then tends to wander inwards or outwards, and has difficulty coordinating with the other eye. Up to 5% of children have amblyopia, making it a common eye condition and one that generally needs to be treated early on in life.
Symptoms of Amblyopia
Amblyopia is most frequently caused by one eye having a much higher refractive error (need for glasses) than the other eye, which can result in some potential symptoms. Symptoms of ambylopia include (but are not limited to)
- A wandering eye
- Poor depth perception
- Head tilting
- Eyes that don’t work together
- Failure to pass vision screening tests
What To Do When Your Child Has Amblyopia
When your child has ambylopia, it’s crucial to bring them in to see a professional eye doctor and to have their eyes assessed and diagnosed early on so that your child can treat their eye condition as soon as possible. Neglecting to treat ambylopia could result in the issues only worsening over time. Treatment options for ambylopia include: glasses, contact lens, eye patches, and sometimes even surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical for maximal improvement.
If your child has signs of strabismus or some other type of eye condition or visual impairment, then you should bring them in to see your local eye doctors near Bloomington MN at Insight Vision Care.