Amblyopia In Children

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Amblyopia (am-ble-O-pe-ah), also called lazy eye, is a condition where your child cannot see details very well. Normally, as your child uses both eyes to see, the visual system of his brain is stimulated and develops quickly. Amblyopia happens when there is a lack of stimulation coming from both eyes resulting in a poorly developed visual system. The brain may favor one eye instead of both eyes, and this may cause problems in changing the signals into images. Conditions like anisometropia, cataracts, refractive errors, and strabismus may delay the development of the visual system, and cause amblyopia. Ask your caregiver for more information about these conditions.
  
  
• You may see your child tilting his head to one side, and one eye drifting away from where he is supposed to be looking. To diagnose amblyopia, your caregiver may get a complete medical history and do a physical examination. Your child may have tests for visual acuity (ability to see clearly), fixation, and corneal light reflex. Treatment aims to correct your child's vision by letting the poorly developed visual system develop normally. Your caregiver will first correct visual acuity problems by having your child wear eyeglasses, or undergo surgery. He will then block the vision of the good eye by putting an eyepatch over the normal eye. He may also use contact lenses, or eyeglasses or medicine to blur vision in the good eye. This lets the affected eye see everything by itself and its visual system develop along with the good eye. Diagnosing and treating your child's amblyopia as soon as possible may help him see better and prevent blindness.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your child's care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your child's health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your child's caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat your child.

RISKS:

Treatment for amblyopia may carry some risks. The eye medicine may cause irritation, redness of the skin, and headaches. The treatment to block vision in the good eye may cause amblyopia in it. Even after treatment, your child's visual acuity in the affected eye may return back to the way it was before treatment. If left untreated, your child's decreased visual acuity will remain, and may even get worse. Your child's affected eye may also become completely blind. Call your child's caregiver if you have any questions about his condition, treatment, or care.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Informed consent: You have the right to understand your child's health condition in words that you know. You should be told what tests, treatments, or procedures may be done to treat your child's condition. Your child's caregiver should also tell you about the risks and benefits of each treatment. You may be asked to sign a consent form that gives your child's caregivers permission to do certain tests, treatments, or procedures. If you are unable to give your consent, someone who has permission can sign this form for you. A consent form is a legal piece of paper that tells exactly what will be done to your child. Before giving your consent, make sure all your questions have been answered so that you understand what may happen to your child.

Medicines:

• Cycloplegic medicine: These medicines blur vision in your child's good eye. This lets the affected eye see by itself and develop its visual system.
  
  

Tests: Your child may need any of the following:

• Corneal light reflex test: This test uses a light to see if your child's eyes are aligned, or looking at the same thing at the same time. A light is shined near your child's eyes. Your child's caregiver then sees the reflection on your child's eyes. Normally, the reflections should be at the same point from his nose.
  
  
• Cover-uncover test: This test checks if your child's eyes are looking at the same object at the same time. An object is placed farther down the room and your child's caregiver covers one eye. He carefully looks at the uncovered eye for any movement. If the uncovered eye moves a bit to look at the object, it may have problems.
  
  
• Test for fixation: This test is used for children who cannot speak yet. In this test, your child's caregiver covers your child's eye. He moves a small flashlight in front of your child and sees how well he follows the light. He repeats the test on the other eye and compares the results.
  
  
• Test for visual acuity: This test uses charts with letters, pictures and shapes to check how well your child sees. These special charts can be used for young children who cannot read, or speak yet. Your child is seated, and he is asked what he sees on the chart placed farther down the room. If he still cannot speak, your child's caregiver looks at your child's reactions when he holds up objects or charts.

Treatment options: Your child may have any of the following:

• Eye surgery: This is used to remove cataracts from your child's eye, or to correct muscle imbalance in the eye. This may improve your child's vision.
  
  
• Eyeglasses and contact lenses: This is used to correct your child's vision in the affected eye. Contact lenses are small, soft, round pieces of plastic put over your child's eye. Your child's caregiver may also use a special lens to blur vision in your child's good eye.
  
  
• Eyepatch: This is used to block vision in your child's good eye. This lets the affected eye see by itself and develop its visual system.

Vital signs: This includes taking your child's temperature, blood pressure, pulse (counting his heartbeat), and respirations (counting his breaths). To take your child's blood pressure, a cuff is put on his arm and tightened. The cuff is attached to a machine which gives your child's blood pressure reading. Caregivers may listen to your child's heart and lungs by using a stethoscope. Your child's vital signs are taken so caregivers can see how he is doing.

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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