Amblyopia

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is a disorder of the eyes. It is characterised by poor or blurry vision that is not correctable with glasses in an eye that is otherwise physically healthy and normal. The problem is due to either no transmission or poor transmission of the visual image to the brain for a sustained period of dysfunction or disuse during early childhood. The condition will only arise at this young age because most of the visual system's development in humans is complete and "locked in" by a few years of age. Amblyopia normally only affects one eye, but it is possible to be amblyopic in both eyes if both are similarly deprived of a good, clear visual image.

Related Topics:
Disorder - Eyes - Vision - Glasses - Brain - Childhood - Visual system - Human

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Amblyopia affects 2-5% of the population. Amblyopia is a developmental problem in the brain, not an organic problem in the eye. The part of the brain corresponding to the visual system from the affected eye is not stimulated properly and develops abnormally. This has been confirmed in brain specimens.

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Many children who have amblyopia, especially those who are only mildly amblyopic, are not even aware they have the condition until tested at older ages, since the vision in their stronger eye is normal. However, people who have severe amblyopia may experience associated vision disorders, most notably poor depth perception.

Related Topics:
Vision disorder - Depth perception

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