Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIdeally, lazy eye treatment begins in early childhood — when the complicated connections between the eye and the brain are forming. Depending on the cause and the degree to which your child's vision is affected, treatment options may include:
- Corrective eye wear. If a condition such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism is contributing to lazy eye, corrective glasses or contact lenses will likely be prescribed. Sometimes corrective eyewear is all that's needed.
- Eye patches. To stimulate the weaker eye, your child may wear an eye patch over the stronger eye — possibly for two or more hours a day depending on the severity of the lazy eye. This helps the part of the brain that manages vision develop more completely.
- Eyedrops. A daily or twice-weekly drop of a drug called atropine can temporarily blur vision in the stronger eye. This will encourage use of the weaker eye, and offers an alternative to wearing a patch.
- Surgery. If your child has crossed or outwardly deviating eyes, the eye muscles may benefit from surgical repair. Droopy eyelids or cataracts also may need surgical intervention.
For most children with lazy eye, proper treatment improves vision within weeks to several months — and the earlier treatment begins, the better. Although research suggests that the treatment window extends through at least age 17, results are better when treatment begins in early childhood.
References
- Facts about amblyopia. The National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/amblyopia/amblyopia_guide.asp. Accessed Sept. 27, 2010.
- Coats DK. Overview of amblyopia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 27, 2010.
- Noshi NR, et al. Amblyopia. American Family Physician. 2007;75:361.
- Screening for visual impairment in children younger than age 5 years. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/3rduspstf/visionscr/vischrs.htm. Accessed Sept. 27, 2010.
- Koby M. Amblyopia. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1058443637&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00010-X--sc0130&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00010-X--sc0130&uniqId=219913719-4. Accessed Sept. 27, 2010.
- Robertson DM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 29, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on