Amblyopia

Alternative names:

cycloplegic; lazy eye

Definition:

A condition in which the vision in the non-dominant eye is poor as a result of a visual abnormality early in life.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Amblyopia is usually first observed in childhood. Amblyopia may be caused by strabismus (crossed eyes), farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism in one eye, or a childhood cataract. The stronger eye becomes dominant and retains good vision, but in the affected eye, the nerve connections between the brain and that eye fail to develop normally, and the brain learns to ignore visual information from that eye. The resulting vision lacks depth perception. Strabismus, the most common cause of amblyopia, appears to run in families.