Amblyopia or lazy eye is an ocular discomfort. Characterized by a weakening of the vision of one of the two eyes, it frequently occurs in children.
Amblyopia can be idiopathic or manifest in the event of:
- Strabismus.
- Different quality of vision between the eyes due to refraction errors.
- Less common causes (cataract, corneal ulcer or scar, glaucoma, drooping eyelid and hemangioma.
The lazy eye manifests itself with:
- Vision difficulties.
- Involuntary movements of the eye.
- Reduced sensitivity to contrast and movement.
- Poor depth perception.
What to do
Amblyopia is a condition that sometimes requires the help of glasses or contact lenses. However, these cannot be prescribed without a precise diagnosis.
This means that, in the doubt of a lazy eye, it is necessary:
- Make an early diagnosis. In the child it is good to do a sight check up at the age of 3-5 years.
- Pay more attention if there are cases of amblyopia in the family (from strabismus, infantile cataract, etc.) and schedule checks every 2 years.
- Perform the correction:
- Constant use of glasses or contact lenses.
- Restoring the weak eye. This is "forced" to develop due to the limitation of the strong one; for example:
- Covering it with a bandage.
- Administering a few drops of eye drops.
- Alternatively, the processing may include:
- Corrective lenses.
- Surgery.
What NOT to do
- Do the first ophthalmological check-up in old age, over 7 years of life.
- This is even more wrong in case of heredity or in doubt that the child may have vision problems.
- After diagnosis:
- Do not use glasses or contact lenses.
- Do not practice visual exercises with the bandage.
- Do not respect drug therapy.
What to eat
There are no foods directly involved in the onset, aggravation or care of the lazy eye.
However, there are nutrients essential for eye development and maintenance, including:
- Vitamin C or ascorbic acid: contained above all in the sour fruit (citrus fruits, kiwi, etc.) and in some vegetables (lettuce, peppers, parsley, etc.), fights free radicals and optimizes the cellular functionality of the optic nerve.
- Vitamin A: in the form of carotenoids and retinol it is contained in milk, cheeses, liver, crustaceans, fruit and vegetables of orange and red (peppers, carrots, tomatoes, apricots, peaches, melon, etc.). It is involved in vision protection (especially in the lutein and zeaxanthin forms).
- Vitamin E: powerful antioxidant contained in the germ of cereals, in some oily legumes, in other fat seeds and in the related extraction oils.
- Omega 3 essential fatty acids: fundamental against systemic inflammation, they have innumerable functions, including sight support. They are contained in oily blue fish (sardines, mackerel, bonito, alletterato etc.), in algae, in some oily seeds (kiwi, linen, etc.) and in the related oils.
What NOT to Eat
There is no list of foods to avoid to improve the lazy eye.
Just remember that foods that are harmful to metabolism are contraindicated:
- Rich in saturated fats (fat cheeses, fast foods, etc.).
- Rich in hydrogenated fats (packaged baked goods, sweet and savory snacks).
- Rich in nitrates (preserved foods such as cold cuts, etc.).
- With a very high load and glycemic index, in the case of diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia can only make cataracts worse. On the other hand, let us remember that infantile cataract is congenital but in the case of comorbidities to diabetes it is strictly necessary to avoid hyperglycemia.
- Very salty: they can aggravate hypertension, a pathology that is harmful to the eyes. Except for the most serious hereditary forms, this disease should affect adults in particular. However, childhood obesity has increased the risk of metabolic syndrome even in children.
Natural Cures and Remedies
Among the natural remedies for amblyopia we should mention first of all the bandage therapy. On the other hand, it will be described in the chapter on "Medical Treatments".
In the past, it was common in the Celtic world to treat the lazy eye with a natural remedy for topical use called Hygra.
There is no scientific basis for demonstrating what is assumed by the ancient Celtic population and, if you want to try it, it is recommended to consult your doctor:
- Hygra: 2 ounces of saffron, an ounce of white pepper, 1 gram of saltpeter, an ounce of myrrh and a gram of Attica honey. Apply a few drops on the lazy eye and wait for the tears.
Pharmacological care
The only drug used as a remedy for amblyopia is atropine.
It is not a molecule capable of improving the visual impairment of the underdeveloped eye, but of an active ingredient that temporarily reduces the efficiency of the healthy one:
- Atropine in eye drops: a drop twice a week or every day temporarily reduces the visual capacity of the dominant eye. It serves to indirectly stimulate the capacity of the lazy eye, helping the development of the portion of the brain responsible for processing the vision. It can rarely have side effects like:
- Eye irritation.
- Redness of the skin.
- Headache.
It is less effective in the case of myopia.
Prevention
It is not possible to prevent amblyopia but it is necessary to intervene early (screening) because it does not worsen or become chronic.
The only advisable system is the early check-up and, in the case of a therapy, the programming of fairly close checks.
Medical treatments
To treat amblyopia it is advisable to reduce the efficiency of the healthy eye to stimulate the brain to perfect the vision of the weak eye. In addition to drugs, this can be achieved with patching:
- Also called "bandage therapy", it is based on the placement of an opaque and adhesive plaster on the skin of the dominant eye. In this way the subject is forced to reinforce the use of the lazy one. Treatment must be continued in proportion to the severity of amblyopia. Usually 3-6 hours a day is enough for a few weeks or a few months. Certain activities such as reading, coloring, drawing etc. can speed up the process. It is advisable to schedule routine checks during treatment. The effectiveness of the therapy is greater if implemented before 7-8 years of age.
Alternatively, surgery can be used:
- Also called Lasik (Intrastomal Laser Keratomileusis), laser surgery is based on restoring visual balance between the two eyes. It is more suitable for adults; in children it is used only when the other treatments have a negative outcome.
- Another type of surgery is the removal of the lens opacified by congenital cataract and the replacement with a synthetic lens. Remember that not all cataract cases require surgery.
