What is "amblyopia"

Amblyopia \Am`bly*o"pi*a\, Amblyopy \Am"bly*o`py\, n. [Gr. ?; ? blunt, dim + ? eye: cf. F. amblyopie.] (Med.) Weakness of sight, without and opacity of the cornea, or of the interior of the eye; the first degree of amaurosis.

1706, "weakening of the eyesight," medical Latin, from Greek amblyopia "dim-sightedness," noun of action from amblys "dulled, blunt" + ops "eye" (see eye (n.)) + abstract noun ending -ia. Related: Amblyopic.

n. dimness or blurring of the eyesight due to a fault in transmission of signals to the brain from an otherwise healthy eye.

n. visual impairment without apparent organic pathology

Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight due to the eye and brain not working well together. It results in decreased vision in an eye that otherwise typically appears normal. It is the most common cause of decreased vision in a single eye among children and younger adults.

The cause of amblyopia can be any condition that interferes with focusing during early childhood. This can occur from poor alignment of the eyes, an eye being irregularly shaped such that focusing is difficult, one eye being more nearsighted or farsighted than the other, or clouding of the lens of an eye. After the underlying cause is fixed vision is not fully restored as the mechanism also involves the brain. Amblyopia can be difficult to detect and therefore vision testing is recommended for all children around the ages of four to five.

Early detection improves treatment success. Eye glasses may be all the treatment needed for some children. If this is not sufficient, treatments which force the child to use the weaker eye are used. This is done by either using a patch or putting atropine in the stronger eye. Without treatment amblyopia typically persists into adulthood. Evidence regarding treatments for adults is poor.

Amblyopia was first described in the 1600s. It begins by the age of five. In adults the disorder is estimated to affect 1–5% of the population. While treatment improves vision it does not typically restore it to normal in the affected eye. The condition may make people ineligible to be pilots or police officers. The word "amblyopia" is from Greek meaning αμβλυωπία, "blunt vision".