Can a lazy eye be treated?

A lazy eye is quite common. About 3% of children develop a lazy eye. We often get the question whether a laser can solve this problem. In order to answer this question as best as possible, it may be useful to know what a lazy eye exactly means. A lazy eye (amblyopia) is caused by a miscommunication between the brain and the lazy eye. There are two primary causes for a lazy eye: the first is misalignment of the eyes, known as strabismus. The second cause is a large difference in power between the eyes (more than 4.0D), also called anisometropia. As a result, the brain prefers the strong “healthy” eye to the “lazy” eye. The ‘lazy’ eye will see less over time. If the eye is not treated before the age of 7, the problem can persist into adulthood. It is not possible to correct a lazy eye later in life. After one year of life, the brain has established a fixed form of communication with the eyes that cannot be changed.

We can correct a power deviation with the laser so that you can achieve the same visual acuity with the lazy eye that you now have with glasses or contact lenses, but unfortunately no further improvement is expected. So let yourself be well informed in advance whether a laser treatment will give you an improvement or not.