Strabismus is an eye turn — one eye turns inward, outward, upward, or downward. Amblyopia (lazy eye) is reduced vision that develops when the brain begins relying more on one eye than the other. Some patients have both conditions.
Strabismus & Amblyopia Treatment in Orlando
QUICK LINKS
Visual Health & Learning Center
Research has challenged the belief that lazy eye can only be treated during early childhood. Many older children, teenagers, and adults may also benefit from treatment, depending on their condition.
Vision therapy is a supervised treatment program that helps strengthen the visual skills your eyes and brain use together. Treatment may improve eye teaming, eye tracking, focusing, depth perception, binocular coordination, and visual comfort.
Eye muscle surgery changes the position of the eyes, but it doesn't always teach the eyes and brain to work together. Some patients benefit from vision therapy before surgery, after surgery, or instead of surgery. If you've had previous eye muscle surgery and continue to experience double vision or poor depth perception, a developmental vision evaluation may help.
Eye patching may be appropriate in some cases depending on the type and severity of amblyopia. Your eye doctor will determine whether patching is recommended based on the results of your evaluation.
Yes. Even if an eye turn appears only occasionally, it should be evaluated. Intermittent eye turns can still affect binocular vision, depth perception, and the way the eyes work together.
A developmental vision evaluation examines how your eyes work together, how they focus, and whether binocular vision problems are affecting everyday activities. Your eye doctor will explain what they find and recommend treatment based on your examination results.
The length of treatment depends on your diagnosis, your age, and your progress throughout therapy. Your eye doctor monitors your progress regularly and adjusts your program as your visual skills improve.
An Eye Turn and a Lazy Eye Are Not the Same Thing
Many people use the term 'lazy eye' to describe any eye that turns in or out, but a lazy eye and an eye turn are actually two different conditions. Strabismus is an eye turn. One eye may turn inward, outward, upward, or downward because the eyes are not working together properly.
Amblyopia, often called lazy eye, is reduced vision that develops when the brain begins relying more on one eye than the other. A child can have amblyopia without an obvious eye turn, and a child can have strabismus without developing amblyopia. Understanding the difference is important because treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Many parents of infants and toddlers also ask how to tell if their baby needs glasses or how to test their baby's eyes for glasses. Early evaluation is important; even babies can be examined for refractive errors and eye alignment problems. If you are wondering how to tell if a baby needs glasses, a comprehensive pediatric eye exam is the most reliable way to find out. Early detection gives children the best opportunity for healthy visual development.
Your Child May Not Realize Their Vision Is Different
Children rarely tell their parents they have double vision or difficulty using both eyes together because they often assume everyone sees the same way they do.
Instead, you may notice signs such as:
- One eye turning in or out
- Closing or covering one eye
- Tilting the head or squinting
- Poor depth perception
- Frequent bumps or spills
- Difficulty catching a ball
- Losing place while reading
- Headaches or eyestrain
- Double vision
Eye Turns Can Be Constant or Intermittent
Some eye turns are easy to notice because they happen all the time. Others only appear occasionally.
You may notice your child's eye turning:
Even if an eye turn appears only occasionally, it should be evaluated. Intermittent eye turns can still affect binocular vision, depth perception, and the way the eyes work together.
Treatment Depends on the Cause of the Problem
After your evaluation, our eye doctors will explain how your visual system functions and recommend the most appropriate treatment for your condition. Depending on the findings, your treatment plan may include one or more of the following.
For some patients, prescription glasses are all that's needed to improve visual clarity and help the eyes work together more comfortably. If a refractive error is contributing to an eye turn or visual discomfort, glasses may be the first step in treatment.
Vision therapy helps strengthen the visual skills your eyes and brain use to work together. If poor eye teaming, focusing, or binocular vision contributes to strabismus or amblyopia, vision therapy may improve how your eyes coordinate during reading, learning, sports, and other everyday activities.
Prism lenses may be recommended when your eyes have difficulty working together comfortably. By changing the way light enters the eyes, prism lenses can help reduce double vision, improve binocular vision, and make everyday activities such as reading and driving more comfortable for some patients.
Eye patching may be recommended for some patients with amblyopia (lazy eye). Covering the stronger eye encourages the brain to use the weaker eye, helping support visual development when appropriate. Eye patching is often one part of a larger treatment plan and may be combined with other therapies.
Some patients with strabismus may benefit from eye muscle surgery to improve eye alignment. When surgery is appropriate, we'll discuss the referral process and work closely with your surgeon as part of your overall care. Depending on your condition, vision therapy may also be recommended before or after surgery to help improve how the eyes work together.
Vision Therapy Helps Improve Binocular Vision
Vision therapy is a supervised treatment program that helps strengthen the visual skills your eyes and brain use together. Treatment may improve:
- Eye teaming
- Eye tracking
- Focusing
- Depth perception
- Binocular coordination
- Visual comfort.
If vision therapy is recommended, your eye doctor designs a program based on your examination findings and monitors your progress throughout treatment. In cases of amblyopia, occlusion therapy, patching the stronger eye to encourage use of the weaker eye, may also be recommended as part of the treatment plan.