Not only you, but even your eyes can go lazy. In addition to having poor vision, lazy eye, called amblyopia in medical terminology, can cause somewhat reduced contrast and colour vision compared to normal vision. If there is an imbalance between the visual inputs from either of the eyes, then the eye having poor stimulation becomes the lazy eye. It happens mainly because eye-to-brain connections have not developed properly. Therefore, immediate amblyopia treatment becomes pertinent.
Treatment of amblyopia
In India, 5-12% of children suffer from lazy eyes. It is the leading cause of visual impairment in school-going kids. The condition may develop in childhood and continue until your child turns seven. Amblyopia treatment should begin immediately after diagnosis to prevent escalation. Here are some of the treatment options for curing amblyopia.
The doctor recommends putting a patch on the better-seeing eye. Doing so forces the brain to use the poor eye. You may consider it a situation where your child's eye is lifting weights to build better muscles. The amount of time required for exercise every day might range from two to six hours, depending on the severity of the condition.
Wearing glasses is crucial to correcting refractive errors, which is one of the prime causes of amblyopia. Refractive errors happen when the shape of the eye is such that it makes vision blurry.
The atropine eye drop helps diagnose squint eyes and blurred vision in the eyes. The drop relaxes the eye muscles, which are responsible for enlarging pupils. The drop makes the stronger eye blur, forcing the weaker eye to work.
Activities that help with amblyopia treatment include colouring within the lines in a colouring book, jigsaw puzzles, reading with a patch over the good eye, and using barrel convergence cards. Pencil pushup treatment (PPT) involves focusing both eyes on the pencil tip and bringing it as close to the nose as possible until the vision becomes blurry. The brock string exercise is also an effective amblyopia treatment. In this exercise, you are supposed to look at a single target, which can be either a bead or a point on the string. While doing so, the right and left eyes should focus on the same point in space. This exercise teaches teamwork to the eyes.
Surgery is required only in extreme circumstances when your child either has cataract or ptosis. The aim is to loosen or tighten the eye muscles to fix the alignment. Surgery is also necessary in the case of strabismus. Strabismus, or crossed eyes, occurs when both eyes concentrate differently.
Ayurvedic treatment involves various therapies and medications. An herbal concoction is poured continuously over the eyes in Netradhara treatment to correct visual defects. Medicated ghee is used in Netra Tharpanam to strengthen the muscles of the eyes. Oral medication includes Haridra, Shatavari, Triphala, Brahmi, and Jyotishmati.
Conclusion
Amblyopia, if not treated timely, may result in permanent visual impairment. Early diagnosis and requisite amblyopia treatment can save your child from lifetime suffering. Amblyopia treatment may last anywhere from six months to two years. Health insurance is a saviour in case of unforeseen mishaps. Make sure you have one.
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