Vision therapy for someone with amblyopia forces the brain to see through the amblyopic eye, thus restoring vision. Sometimes the eyecare practitioner or vision therapist will place a patch over the stronger eye to teach the weaker eye to see. Patching may continue for weeks or months. If the child has become amblyopic due to a strong uncorrected refractive error or a large difference between the refractive errors of both eyes, amblyopia can be treated with glasses or contact lenses in the correct prescription. The eyecare practitioner may prescribe an eye patch along with the new glasses or contact lenses.
Surgery is best for amblyopic children with an underlying physical problem, such as strabismus.
The surgery corrects the muscle problem which causes strabismus so the eyes can focus together and see properly. Amblyopia will not go away on its own, and untreated amblyopia can lead to permanent visual problems and poor depth perception. If later in life the child's stronger eye develops disease or is injured, he or she will be dependent on the poor vision of the amblyopic eye. For more articles about eye conditions and diseases, use the pull-down menu at the top of this page . Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .