Amblyopia

"What is amblyopia?

Amblyopia is a condition where the vision in an eye is poor and it is caused by lack of use of the eye in early childhood. In most cases, only one eye is affected, but it sometimes affects both eyes. Amblyopia is sometimes called a 'lazy eye'. The visual loss of amblyopia cannot be corrected by wearing glasses.

Understanding the development of vision:

Newborn babies can see. However, as they grow, the visual pathways continue to develop from the eye to the brain and within the brain. The brain 'learns' how to interpret the signals that come from an eye. This visual development continues until about age 7-8 years. After this time, the visual pathways and the 'seeing' parts of the brain are fully formed and cannot change.
If, for any reason, a young child cannot use one or both eyes normally, then vision is not learnt properly. This results in impaired vision (poor visual acuity) called amblyopia. The amblyopia develops in addition to whatever else is affecting the eye. In effect, amblyopia is a developmental problem of the brain rather than a problem within the eye itself. Even if the other eye problem is treated, the visual impairment from amblyopia usually remains permanent unless it is treated before the age of about seven years"