Lazy eye

A lazy eye (amblyopia) is a childhood condition that occurs when the vision in an eye doesn’t develop properly. This means that your child can see less clearly out of one eye and relies more on the “good” eye. Around one in 50 children develops a lazy eye. It’s usually diagnosed at around the age of four.

When should you seek medical advice?

Many cases of lazy eye are diagnosed during routine eye tests. Your child should have a vision test between the ages of four and five. However, you should see your GP if you’re concerned about your child’s eyesight as they can refer your child for further testing by an ophthalmologist.

What causes a lazy eye?

A lazy eye occurs when the brain connections responsible for vision aren’t made properly. This can be because of:

a reduction in the amount of light entering the eye a lack of focus in the eye confusion between the eyes – where the two images aren’t the same (such as a squint)

the muscles of the lazy eye are weak

Treating a lazy eye

The majority of cases can be treated, usually in two stages. Firstly, the underlying problem is corrected by using glasses to correct the focus of the eye. Secondly, your child is then encouraged to use the affected eye again. This can be done with eye patches to cover the stronger eye, or using eye drops to temporarily impair the vision in the strong eye.