Amblyopia is usually corrected by making the child use their weaker eye. This can be done by putting a patch over the child’s stronger eye. Another way is to make vision blurry in the stronger eye using eye drops. Or the child may wear eyeglasses with a lens that blurs vision in that eye.
It can take several weeks to several months for vision to get stronger in the weaker eye. Once the child has better vision in that eye, he or she may need to wear an eye patch part-time for a few years. This helps keep their vision strong.
In some cases, the ophthalmologist will recommend surgery to correct certain eye problems causing amblyopia. After surgery, the child may need to keep wearing a patch or otherwise cover the strong eye until his or her vision improves.
It is possible to prevent vision loss from amblyopia. But treatment only works if your child only uses the weaker eye to see. Children do not like to have their stronger eye patched or blurred. However, you need to help your child do what is best for them.
When a child has amblyopia, it is important to make vision stronger in the weak eye. Even if eye problems causing amblyopia are corrected with glasses or surgery, the amblyopia itself must be treated. If not, the child may have lifelong vision problems.
