※What is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia can be the case when an infant reaches the age of 7 undergoes correction in one or both eyes due to poor eyesight, but is unable to raise vision to above 1.0 (6/6,20/20). As the field of medicine puts it, the cause of amblyopia is mainly due to the insufficiency of stimulation to the optic nerves inside the brain during child development which can cause arrest of, or incomplete development. Human eyesight develops at its most rapid between 1 to 2 years old, while reaching its peak at around 4 to 5 years old. During this time, the eyes and the visual center in the brain both require adequate light and stimulation in order to mature. If during this period there is external influence or anomalies within the eyeball itself (high degree of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, blepharoptosis, cataract, etc. ) that prevents light from focusing on the retina, it could lead to amblyopia. Although, due to the competition for sight in both eyes where one usually wins out, amblyopia in both eyes are not common, it is easy for parents to neglect single-eye amblyopia.
Refractive myopia： Normally, the development of eyesight requires clear projection onto the retina for sufficient stimulation. If the infant experiences a high degree of nearsightness, farsightness, or astigmatism without early correction, the retina would be unable to receive clear visual signals, which inhibits normal vision development and causes amblyopia. Strabismic amblyopia： A common form of amblyopia, includes esotropia (cross-eye), exotropia (walleye), hypertropia , or hypotropia, with esotropia being the most common. This is when a child’s gaze in one eye wanders off and is unable to converge with the gaze of the other eye. To avoid seeing double image, the brain suppresses image from one of the eyes, which, over time, can become fixed causing increasingly lower vision and lead to amblyopia. Anisometropic amblyopia： Also known as refractive amblyopia, this is when unequal images are received from the eyes, with a combined degree of refractive error of over 2.0D. It is predominantly a condition in a single eye, and is often neglected. The two eyes compete for sight, and the child will tend to prefer and make a habit of using the less refractive eye because he or she can see better with it, while the more refractive eye will become amblyopia due to insufficient use. Amblyopia ex Anopsia： Also known as form deprivation amblyopia, this can be caused by congenital blepharoplegia (eye sagging), congenital cataract, nubecula (opacity of the cornea), etc., where any condition above can cause a blockage prevents the light from entering the eyeball and properly forming an image on the retina. External injury can also cause blockage of visual stimulation causing a regression of vision, which turns into amblyopia.
◆When looking at an object, the child often hasa head tilt or squinted eyes ◆When watching TV or reading, the child tends
to be very close to the screen or the book.◆One or both eyes will show signs of
wandering gaze.◆The child’s eyeball may experience light
tremble and the child likes to hold the
eyeball down with fingers◆The child frequently falls or collides with chairs and tables◆The child often complains of being unable to see clearly
If you notice any of the symptoms above, you should bring your child to a certified ophthalmologist or hospital for an exam as soon as possible. There are similar symptoms for nearsightedness and amblyopia, the difference is that wearing glasses may not improve amblyopia. This is why it is necessary for a certified physician to diagnose if a child has nearsightedness or amblyopia or other problems with vision. It is imperative to NOT erroneously decide that your child only has nearsightness, as this judgement could delay or entirely let slip the ideal time to treat amblyopia.
※Methods of treatment Occlusion (Eye patching)：A treatment where the healthy eye is covered in order to encourage usage of the weak eye. A certified physician should instruct the time and length of treatment sessions.
Vision Training：Training through eye-hand coordination games such as picking-up peas, doing-up buttons, threading beads, sketch drawing, etc., to stimulate use of the weak eye.
※Treatment and eye training for amblyopia is a lengthy road.
The parents must provide encouragement with patience and care for your child to accept and endure a long and stable period of correction. Results are not obvious in the short run, but it is certainly a road to journey on together where every step is one towards vision recovery for seeing the wonderful things ahead with for your child.
〔Captain Lazy Eye〕Amblyopia Correctional Aids (ACA)
This is an amblyopia correctional assistance software specifically designed for parents. Through simple operations you can allow your child to more easily accept vision correction and training. The software has a settings interface for parents and a training area for kids. This allows you to monitor your child’s progress and state of recovery. Not anymore do you need to make extra trip to and back from the doctors, and no longer will your child lose patience and refuse to cooperate during the long arduous process of correctional training . 《Learn more》