Amblyopia

Amblyopia Diagnosis and Treatment at Total Eyecare

Under normal circumstances, both your eyes play an equal role in presenting visual information to the brain for processing. The combination of both visual fields produces what we binocular vision, resulting in three-dimensional eyesight. Amblyopia is a condition in which the brain depends more heavily on visual data from one eye than the other. In some cases, the brain may even reject the "bad" eye's input altogether, leaving you with clear vision but no depth perception. This is a dangerous situation since it leaves you seriously lacking in peripheral vision one side and renders you incapable of judging distances accurately. It's especially serious in children since their eyes and brain are supposed to be developing the coordination necessary for a lifetime of normal eyesight. Fortunately, our team at Total Eyecare can catch this problem and provide sight-saving treatment.

amblyopia diagnosis and treatment from your optometrist in elko

Symptoms and Types of Amblyopia

Symptoms of amblyopia in your child may include tilting the head to one side, squinting, reacting badly when the less-used eye is covered, or eyes that appear to be gazing in two different directions. Many people are surprised to learn that amblyopia may occur in people whose eyes can see perfectly well. But amblyopia can have many possible causes, which tend to fall into one of three primary categories:

  • Strabismic amblyopia - This form of amblyopia is a direct result of strabismus or abnormal eye alignment. If one eye turns inward/outward or upward/downward in relation to the other, the brain cannot reconcile the two out-of-sync images.
  • Refractive amblyopia - Refractive amblyopia is a common condition in which one eye has more of a refractive error, or a different refractive error, than the other. If for instance, one eye is more nearsighted than the other, the brain will naturally prefer the clearer image.
  • Deprivation amblyopia - Deprivation amblyopia occurs when something actually prevents one eye from relaying visual data with 100 percent effectiveness. A cataract, cancerous growth, injury, scarring or some other impediment may make this eye's data less useful than that of the other eye.

Treatment Options From Your Elko Optometrist

Any Elko optometrist on our three-practitioner team can diagnose the signs and cause of amblyopia. Our comprehensive eye exams can detect significant refractive differences between eyes, as well as eye alignment problems behind strabismic amblyopia. Our ability to see inside the eye also helps us identify tumors or other structural problems that might cause deprivation amblyopia.

Once we've found the problem, you can rely on our team to prescribe the right solution for it. Treatment for amblyopia can include:

  • Eye exercises to improve muscular coordination and eye alignment
  • Corrective lenses to equalize the vision in both eyes
  • Patching or other techniques to force the brain to use the neglected eye's input

Get Those Amblyopia Symptoms Evaluated from Your Elko Optometrist

Don't let any of your loved ones struggle needlessly with amblyopia. Call Total Eyecare at (775) 738-8491 for an evaluation from your Elko optometrist! We look forward to meeting with you.

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Monday
7:30 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday
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Wednesday
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