Amblyopia is the reduction in visual acuity that occurs when the normal development of the visual system is disturbed. There is a progressive decrease in vision, but structural changes in the visual analyzer do not occur. Parents, whose children suffer from this defect, are wondering whether amblyopia can be cured, will visual acuity return?
Amblyopia: Symptoms
With amblyopia, the eyes receive an uneven visual load, and a gradual switching off of the vision of one of the eyes occurs. Therefore, often this disease is called a "lazy eye". The main changes occur in the brain, in the visual department. From the eyes of the child comes distorted information, and the brain perceives the picture only the "leading" eye. The development of neurons responsible for visual function is inhibited. The binocularity of vision is disturbed. Children complain of headaches, pain or discomfort in the eyes, rapid fatigue. Patients with amblyopia are poorly oriented in an unfamiliar place and unusual conditions. Coordination of their movements is disturbed, they are awkward. When reading or viewing, one of the eyes is rejected or closed.
Amblyopia in children: causes, types and degrees
The appearance of this visual impairment is associated with:
- Strabismus. With disruption of binocular vision, dysbinocular amblyopia develops.
- If amblyopia is caused by hyperopia, nearsightedness or astigmatism, this type of disease is called refractive.
- Obscuration amblyopia develops with thorns, cataracts, scar after trauma to the eye.
- The types of amblyopia include hysterical amblyopia, which occurs when there is a lot of stress.
In addition, there is one- and two-sided amblyopia.
There are 5 degrees of amblyopia, depending on the reduction in visual acuity:
- visual acuity at grade I 0.8-0.9;
- at the II degree - 0,5-0,7;
- at grade III - 0.3-0.4;
- at the IV degree - 0,05-0,2;
- at V degree, the visual acuity is below 0.05).
Treatment of amblyopia in children
When this visual defect is detected, it is first of all necessary to identify the cause that led to the development of amblyopia. With farsightedness or short-sightedness, corrective glasses or lenses are prescribed. Strabismus, cataracts or opacity of the cornea suggest surgical intervention. Only after this, amputation correction is performed. The method of occlusion is used, in which the dominant eye is glued, so that the entire visual load falls on the "lazy" eye. The same effect is instilled in the leading eye of special drops - atropine. They act so that the picture from the healthy eye is blurred, and the brain takes the image from the second, "lazy." Along with this, the weak eye is stimulated - color and light therapy, photostimulation.
Treatment of amblyopia at home
A child with amblyopia can help parents. There are special exercises for amblyopia, which should be performed regularly:
- An electric lamp with a power of 60-70 watts is glued to a circle with a diameter of 7-8 mm from opaque paper of black color. Closing a healthy eye, the child looks for 30 seconds on the lamp, and then looks at the white sheet on the wall and
looks at it until the image of the mug from the lamp appears on the sheet. - Exercise is carried out by the window. Closing a healthy eye, a sheet of small text is brought to the weak one and brought closer until it becomes poorly discernible. Then slowly move away from the eye so that the text can be read again.
- On a desk lamp with a 100-watt bulb, put on a black paper cap with a 5 mm diameter hole cut in the center, covered with a red film. The child, located 40 cm, looks with a weak eye at the red luminous point about 3 minutes. In this case, the lamp is turned off every 3 seconds. The lesson is held in a darkened room.
Early diagnosis of amblyopia and appropriate treatment is the key to success in increasing visual acuity.