Heart

Some people may recognize the lazy eye with the crossed eye. In fact, they are two different things. However, crossed eyes or what is commonly known as strabismus can be one of the most common causes of lazy eye.

Lazy eye or what is called amblyopia, occurs when the stimulation received by the brain is not correct and finally the brain does not receive stimulation from the lazy eye. If this condition is not treated properly, it will cause blindness in the eye. So, how does this condition cause blindness?

How does lazy eye cause blindness?

The most common cause of lazy eye is strabismus. Strabismus makes the right and left eyes out of alignment, therefore the images sent to the brain are not the same, even contradictory.

Two separate images sent to the brain create a blurry image, making it more comfortable for the brain to ignore one eye. These abnormal eyes then become weak due to disuse, eventually leading to lazy eye disease. The eyesight in the lazy eye can continue to decline if left untreated.

This condition can cause blindness in the lazy eye because the brain always ignores stimuli or signals received from that part of the eye. Because the brain feels that it doesn't get this stimulation, over time the nerves in the lazy eye will be damaged and eventually lead to permanent blindness.

Then, how to deal with lazy eyes so that blindness does not occur?

Lazy eye can be treated according to their respective causes. Some treatments or therapies that can be done to treat this eye condition are:

• Glasses are usually prescribed to improve focus or misalignment of the eye.
• Surgery or surgery can be performed on the eye muscles to straighten the eye if the previous methods were unsuccessful. Surgery can help in the treatment of amblyopia by allowing the eyes to work together better.
• Eye exercises may be recommended before or after surgery to correct incorrect visual habits associated with strabismus (squints) and to teach comfortable eye use.

If the underlying cause has been corrected, therapy can be continued with:

• Patching or covering one eye (the dominant eye) may be required for periods ranging from a few weeks to a year. When the dominant eye is closed, it forces the "lazy" eye to work, thereby strengthening its vision.
• Medicines, in the form of eye drops or ointments can be used to obscure the sight of the good eye to force the weaker to work. However, with medicine the success is smaller.

To find out which therapy or medication is most appropriate for you, you should consult this with your doctor. The doctor will adjust the treatment to your health condition.