A child who can't see the blackboard will have a tough time keeping up with his or her classmates. While crossed or turned eyes (strabismus) is an easily detected eye disorder, amblyopia or "lazy eye" is another serious eye condition that affects up to 3% of all preschoolers and is undetectable without professional vision screening.
Amblyopia causes more visual loss in the under 40 group than all other injuries and diseases combined. If not detected and treated early in life, amblyopia can cause permanent loss of vision and depth perception.
Unfortunately, a 20/20 eye chart screening by your pediatrician or school nurse won't catch amblyopia because the normal eye often sees well enough to provide "normal" vision even though the other eye may not be functioning at all.
Many children go undiagnosed until they have their eyes examined at the eye doctor's office at a later age. Treatment involves glasses, drops and or putting a patch over the normal eye in order to stimulate the "lazy eye" into action.
Recent medical research has proven that amblyopia is successfully treated with these methods up to the age of 17. After that age, treatments tend to be more aggressive and less successful.
The National Eye Institute highly recommends comprehensive vision evaluations for infants and pre-school children. Make an appointment with an ophthalmologist before your child starts school.
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