Lazy Eye Patch
When using a patch for “lazy-eye”, when does the doctor know when to stop the treatment?
Do you stop using the patch when the weaker eye becomes strong enough to be the dominant eye ?
First let’s get some things straight. Lazy Eye is NOT the condition where the eye turns or wanders. That is called strabismus. Lazy Eye is also called amblyopia and it is the condition that exists when the vision in one eye does not develop to the same level as the other eye. There are various reasons why amblyopia (lazy eye) occurs, but essentially the visual pathway from one eye to the brain is not stimulated enough to allow it to develop. In theory patching the better eye forces the nerves and the pathway of the lazy eye to be used, stimulated and to develop. We want to see improvement in the vision of the lazy eye. There may be visits where no improvement is seen and if the vision levels off on 2 or 3 consecutive visits, then the doctor will probably discontinue the patch. If the vision in the lazy eye actually improves to the point where it equals the other eye then the doctor will continue to monitor the eyes to be sure that they 1. are working together and 2. maintain equal vision.
A turned or wandering eye can exist at the same time as a lazy eye, and in some cases correcting the misalignment will assist in the treatment of the lazy eye.
Hope this helps.
Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)