It's Never Too Late To Treat a Lazy Eye

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What is Lazy Eye?

Lazy eye is a condition, referred to medically as amblyopia, which occurs when there is a lack of coordination between both eyes causing one eye to see poorly, even when trying to correct it with glasses or contact lenses. In such a case, each eye is receiving its own image that does not align with the other and in order to cope with this, the brain shuts off and suppresses the image from the eye referred to as a lazy eye. The brain solely relies on the second eye, which is the only eye that is able to achieve 20/20 vision.

There are various causes of amblyopia including a high prescription of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism either in both eyes or when one eye has a higher prescription than the other. The most noticeable cause of a lazy eye is when one eye wanders outwards or inwards, but many cases of amblyopia are difficult to detect without an eye exam. It is important to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with our optometrist who will be able to diagnose and treat the condition for patients of all ages.

Can Lazy Eye be Treated in Older Children, Adolescents and Adults?

The answer is yes! Sadly there is a common misconception, even amongst the scientific and medical community, that a lazy eye can only be treated up until around age eight. It is so unfortunate for people who are older than that to be withheld from having access to effective treatment due to this misconception that has been researched and proven to be incorrect. Treatment may take longer in an adult compared to a child, but people who are older than eight years old can still benefit greatly from successful results. Adolescents and adults have the advantage of generally being more compliant and determined to participate in the treatment plan as an older patient usually has a greater understanding of what is trying to be accomplished. Please allow yourself the opportunity to achieve optimal vision, no matter how old you are. We welcome you to schedule a consultation at our office.

What is brain plasticity?

The brain has an incredible feature known as plasticity which means it can always adapt and be trained to strengthen and to perform new functions. This applies greatly to the treatment of amblyopia, a neural abnormality of vision, in which the brain and the visual pathways can be trained to work together properly as a team without suppressing the lazy eye. Plasticity is not limited to a certain age and it applies in adulthood as well, yielding effective results for patients who are both younger and older. This special feature that our brain possesses allows us to learn new skills, to recover from various setbacks and to constantly be growing.

What happens if amblyopia is left untreated?

It is so important to understand that it is never too late to treat a lazy eye because the alternative of leaving this condition untreated can have serious consequences and lead to various conditions, such as:

Strabismus - this is when the eyes are crossed as opposed to being properly aligned
Central vision issues - an untreated lazy eye can cause central visual impairment
Blindness - permanent vision loss can be caused by an untreated lazy eye; lazy eye is the most common cause of single vision loss in the U.S.

Treatment Methods for Adults with Amblyopia

After a comprehensive assessment, a customized treatment plan will be created for the patient’s individual needs and visual skills. There are different methods for treating a lazy eye and often patients benefit from a combination of techniques:

Prescription glasses - are used to correct any refractive error, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism
Vision therapy - uses different exercises to strengthen how the brain works together with the eyes to optimize the entire visual system.
Eye patching - scientific studies prove that long hours of eye patching is no longer the effective method for treatment, but rather a combination of vision therapy and a few hours of patching is at least just as effective as full-time patching
Atropine eye drops - scientific research proves that daily administration of eye drops used to fog the vision from one eye, allowing the lazy eye to strengthen, is no longer the most effective method of treatment. Using the eye drops only on weekends will yield the same results as daily administration.
Virtual Reality - the FDA approved a virtual reality treatment method for amblyopia in which the patient watches modified movies and TV shows in order to strengthen the lazy eye using a virtual reality headset. Each eye receives its own image with different contrasts and learns to work optimally with the other eye and the brain in order to perceive the images properly

Summary

No matter the age, if you have been diagnosed with amblyopia or you want to be checked if you have a lazy eye we strongly recommend scheduling an appointment in order to receive the eye care you deserve. To schedule a functional vision exam, please call (360) 491-2121. Patients with functional vision issues visit our clinic from all over Washington, and we are proud to be a leading provider of functional vision services for patients from Olympia, Lakewood, Tacoma, and Lacey.

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Testimonials

Such a nice optician. My grandson is only 4 and needs glasses. We were so sad, but he explained the issues, and we will follow up as he suggested.

Anna P.

I had such a good experience with the clinic. Very friendly staff and doctor, did not have to wait for long to be called, and was treated respectfully. Thanks, American Family.

June S.

Dr. Zurcher has gone above and beyond what any other eye doctor has ever done to figure out what is going on with my eyes. Very happy with American Family Vision.

Christine R.

Family Vision Clinic changed our lives! My daughter was frequently car sick, and she was getting headaches every day, often painful enough that they brought her to tears. We saw a string of doctors and therapists, but we made no progress. Finally, we found Dr. Levi Zurcher and his eye therapist Rain. After ten weeks of eye therapy my daughter no longer gets headaches, and she no longer gets car sick. Daily tears are a thing of the past. I really can’t say enough about this clinic. It was fascinating to watch Dr. Zurcher work. For the first time, someone who knew what they were doing was intently studying my daughter, really trying to figure out all of her eye issues, and his therapist Rain is one of the most patient and lovely people that I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet. We’re finished with eye therapy—yay!—and I have switched to American Family Vision Clinic for all of my family’s other eye health needs.

Lars Wulff

Very professional, yet kind and helpful. They do what they can to make the appointment comfortable. I was running a bit late, I made sure ti call. They were able to switch me with a patient who was already there, they treated me with respect, and helped my son have confidence by getting him the eye care he needed that day. Thank you so much! Would recommend to anyone. It's a blessing that they care enough to work with people who have all different types of insurance from work to state coverage.