Amblyopia: Treatable and reversible with early detection, proper treatment

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Amblyopia, an eye condition commonly known as lazy eyes, can develop from birth or the moment a child starts to use his or her eyes and occurs when there is an obstruction to the vision and abnormal development of the eye-brain pathway.

However, this condition is treatable and reversible with early detection and proper treatment to prevent severe future complications during adulthood, according to health experts.

In a statement, Sunway Medical Centre Velocity (SMCV) Consultant Ophthalmologist Dr Fiona Chew Lee Min said it could be a challenge to diagnose the condition as children will not be able to complain about the issue since they do not know what normal vision is.

She said nowadays children were being diagnosed with amblyopia earlier due to increased eye screening programmes in kindergartens and schools, as well as increased awareness of children's eye health.

Based on her experience, Dr Fiona stresses that amblyopia is reversible with early treatment, and cautions parents to bring their children for a yearly eye examination.

“The younger the child, the more adaptable the brain is to change. If treated early, the eye-brain connections will recover faster, hence early detection is crucial. It is recommended that children get their eye check-up at six months, three years, six years and every two years after that to look for eye problems,” she said.

She further explained, that if left untreated, amblyopia will worsen and the condition would be irreversible which would cause legal blindness, disruption of the eye alignment and a child might develop a squint.

Dr Fiona said amblyopia can be confirmed after a full eye examination performed by an eye specialist, which includes an assessment of visual acuity, refraction, orthoptics or squint assessment and a dilated eye examination to look for possible causes of the condition as treatment will vary depending on the cause of amblyopia.

“For example, children who have refractive errors (needing to wear glasses), cataract, squint, droopy eyelids and retinal problems should be treated, after which visual development should improve.

“Otherwise, the patient may need to undergo penalisation treatment or dichoptic therapy. The former involves blurring vision in the good eye to force the brain to use the lazy eye either with eye patches, eyedrops or special lenses. Dichoptic therapy involves certain exercises or digital games to enhance eye-brain development,” she said. 

Dr Fiona added that parents can look out for amblyopia signs through their children behaviour such as peering to view distant objects, abnormal eye movements, squint, abnormal head posture, frequent falls or bumps into objects, problems with three-dimensional vision such as going down the stairs, solving puzzles, delayed milestones, and even problems with sports or homework.

Sharing the same view, SMCV Neuro-Ophthalmologist Dr Lakana Kumar Thavaratnam said amblyopia can be prevented from manifesting into early childhood or even into one’s teenage years if it is detected early and treated.

“While it is possible to improve in adults, amblyopia treatment requires motivation and commitment as it typically takes longer to treat than in children. Amblyopia in adulthood is called visual impairment and can occur due to trauma in adults and complications during pregnancy and delivery in children.

“In these situations, MRI brain and orbit has to be done and the cause of the impairment has to be diagnosed and treated with vision therapy.

“Vision develops in the first few years of life, therefore it is important to diagnose and treat amblyopia as early as possible,” he said. 

Dr Lakana added that signs of amblyopia that parents or patients can look out for are squint, where the eyes point in two different directions or do not move in proper coordination, refractive errors such as being nearsighted, farsighted or astigmatism or cloudiness in the clear parts of the eye. 

Sunway Medical Centre Velocity is located at Lingkaran SV, Sunway Velocity.

The private medical institution can be contacted at +603 97729191 or smcv-enquiry@sunway.com.my.

For more information on Sunway Medical Centre Velocity, visit www.sunmedvelocity.com.my, or Facebook at Sunway Medical Velocity.

-- BERNAMA