Lazy Eye Treatment In Addison, burbank, and Willowbrook
The term "lazy eye" brings to mind images of an eye simply refusing to work properly. In reality, however, amblyopia is a more complex issue that involves the interaction between both eyes and the vision center of the brain. Lazy eye can rob you of your binocular vision, reducing depth perception. Fortunately, this condition can be successfully treated. Here at The Eye Care Center LTD, we're happy to provide lazy eye treatment in Addison, Burbank, and Willowbrook.
An Introduction to Amblyopia
To see the world around you in three dimensions, each eye must send a distinct, slightly different images to the brain. The brain's vision center then takes the pair of images and integrates them into binocular vision, enabling you to tell how far away different objects are. To achieve this effect, however, the brain must pay equal attention to both of those incoming images. If the brain decides to disregard or minimize one image in favor of the other, you might still see clearly, but you may find it impossible to perceive depth with any accuracy. Lack of depth perception poses obvious dangers if you're driving, walking in a busy area, or performing tasks that require physical coordination. In childhood, amblyopia can seriously inhibit the normal development of vision, coordination, and balance.
Why would your brain decide to ignore one eye and not the other? In some cases, the eye itself is plagued by an issue such as myopia, astigmatism, a cataract, or some other impediment that spoils its visual acuity. If your eyes aren't aligned properly, the brain may be unable to reconcile the two images, forced instead to pick one or the other. It's impossible for a neurological crisis to reduce the sight in one eye.
How Our Burbank Eye Doctors Can Help
Our Burbank eye doctor can detect amblyopia through a comprehensive eye exam that includes eye function and visual acuity testing. If we notice an eye alignment problem or a refractive error that affects one eye more than the other, we will run further tests to check your binocular vision. To correct a case of lazy eye, we may need to prescribe corrective lenses to equalize the visual sharpness in both eyes. Prism lenses and vision therapy exercises can help improve eye alignment. Patching the "favorite" eye may also encourage the brain to make more use of the other eye.
Call Us If You Are Suffering From Lazy Eye
The sooner amblyopia is diagnosed and treated, the better -- so don't be lazy about scheduling an appointment at The Eye Care Center LTD. Call Addison, Burbank or Willowbrook to schedule your appointment at our Addison, Burbank or Willowbrook office today!