Conditions

AMBLYOPIA

Amblyopia, sometimes called 'lazy eye', is a vision condition that develops in early childhood when neural pathways between the eyes and the brain are not functioning properly. This improper visual development occurs when certain visual factors are present in early life, causing decreased vision in one or both eyes. As the child is unable to see 20/20 from a very young age the brain habituates to seeing the blurry image, thus impacting vision development. As amblyopia is the result of improper vision development, it does not respond to correction with glasses or contacts in the same way as an uncorrected prescription. This means that even with correction in place a child is unlikely to see 20/20. Amblyopia is a neurologically active process, meaning that vision must be treated by modifying the defective communication between the eyes and the brain.

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CONVERGENCE INSUFFICIENCY

Convergence insufficiency is a common binocular vision (eye teaming) problem characterized by difficulty or inability to converge (cross) one's eyes. Convergence is an aspect of visual functioning that develops early in life, allowing a child to explore their visual environment and develop stereopsis (3D vision). When a child has convergence insufficiency, he or she has difficulty maintaining single, clear, comfortable binocular vision; especially at near. This form of binocular vision dysfunction results in a number of visual symptoms, including double vision, headaches, eye strain, and difficulties with reading and other near tasks. If left untreated, or improperly treated, convergence insufficiency will persist throughout adulthood. Convergence insufficiency is a sensory and neuromuscular disorder and is not due to muscle weakness, which is why treatment should be designed to modify the visual-neural connections responsible for convergence.

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STRABISMUS

Strabismus is a vision condition that has gone by many names; eye turn, crossed eye, lazy eye, wandering eye, wall eyed, and squint to name a few. Whichever name is most familiar to you, strabismus is a failure of the two eyes to maintain proper alignment at all times, which results in an eye turn. Strabismus is a form of binocular vision dysfunction that must be properly treated to restore both alignment and binocular vision functioning. Improper management may result in cosmetic alignment without functional improvement or worsening symptoms. In order to determine the best course of treatment, a residency-trained doctor must evaluate several aspects of the strabismus, including: direction (in, out, up, down), frequency, laterality, magnitude, cause, and the impact on binocular vision due to the strabismus.

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