Amblyopia (lazy eye)

Amblyopia or 'lazy eye' develops when the brain stops recognising vision from one eye and favours the other. Over time, the brain relies more on the other, stronger eye – while vision in the weaker or 'lazy' eye gets worse.

Your child might develop a lazy eye if they have vision problems when they’re very young. For example, if they have:

• eyes that don’t align – called strabismus
• eyes that see differently – for example, if one eye can’t see far, or has a curved lens
• a droopy eyelid – ptosis
• a cloudy lens – called cataract.

When to seek help

If you think your child might have amblyopia, talk to your GP.

Treatment is most successful before 8 years of age.

Treatment

Amblyopia is corrected by making your child use their weaker eye.

They’ll need to wear glasses, cover their good eye with a patch, or use eye drops.

If your child has a droopy lid or cloudy eye lens, they might need an operation before these treatments can begin.

Wearing an eye patch

Covering your child’s good eye with a patch will strengthen their lazy eye. They may need to wear the patch for up to 8 hours a day. Most patches stick on or fit over glasses.

Using eye drops

Eye drop medicines can help some children with a lazy eye. The drops blur vision in the good eye and strengthen the lazy eye.

Tips for helping your child

Treating lazy eye can be difficult at first. Trying these things can help:

• Explain the treatment to your child and that it will help them to see better over time.
• Reward or praise your child when they use the patch.
• Record your child’s progress in a diary – use this to update their eye specialist.
• Ask for help from family, teachers and carers.
• Be positive, patient and keep trying – your child might not like treatment at first, but they’ll feel better with time.