Library · Disease
Amblyopia
Make it clearer
Amblyopia is what many people call a lazy eye. In the first years of life, the development of the cortex, the part of the brain that puts together what we see, fails for one of the eyes, and that eye sees poorly with no structural change to explain it. That is why examining the eye does not settle the matter: with the right glasses, vision is still poor.
What happens is that the eye does not send the brain a sharp image. One eye sends a blurry copy and the cortex ignores it. In childhood, to avoid seeing double, the brain may shut off what comes from one of the eyes; seeing double is called diplopia.
Several situations put one eye at a disadvantage: a cataract, strabismus, meaning the eyes do not point in the same direction, or clouding of the media that light passes through. If amblyopia is not treated, the vision lost in that eye can be permanent.
In brief
Amblyopia is a disorder of visual development: cortical processing fails early for one or both eyes, and corrected acuity drops with no structural change in the eye to explain it.
It arises when the visual system does not deliver a sharp image to the cortex; in children the brain may suppress one eye to prevent diplopia.
One eye sends a blurry copy and the cortex ignores it.
Cataracts, strabismus, or media opacities leave one eye at a disadvantage; if untreated, that eye's vision loss can be permanent.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAmblyopia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated