Lazy Eye Develops Silently in Children; Untreated Childhood Cases Cause Permanent Vision Loss

Amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye," is dangerous because it develops insidiously. If corrective treatment is not started in childhood, the resulting vision loss can become irreversible. The core of the problem is that one eye sees less clearly than the other. The brain stops processing the blurred signal from the weaker eye and suppresses it. Consequently, visual functions cease to develop, and in adulthood, this loss of visual acuity cannot be corrected with standard glasses. Parents should watch for the following signs: the child squints or closes one eye;tilts or turns their head to look at an object;has difficulty judging distances to objects;complains of eye strain or headaches;appears clumsy during games that require good depth perception.