Amblyopia is generally the result of poor visual development during the early years of an individual’s life. It usually occurs before the age of 8. Infants born prematurely or with low birth weight show a greater risk of developing this condition. Brain does not fully acknowledge the images seen by the amblyopic eye. This can be due to a reduction in the amount of light entering the eye, a lack of focus in the eye or confusion between the eyes – where the two images are not the same such as a squint (a condition in which the eyes don’t look in the same direction).
Our eyes function like a camera. An image enters through the lens of each eye and is focused onto the retina which is a light sensitive layer of tissue. The retina translates the image into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. The brain then combines the signals from each eye into a three-dimensional image. The end result of all forms of amblyopia is reduced vision in the affected eye. If left untreated, vision loss occurs due to the improper stimulation of nerve pathways between the brain and the eye.