“Can amblyopia lead to blindness?”
I was diagnosed with amblyopia. Can amblyopia lead to blindness?
4 Answers
Amblyopia is decreased vision in 1 eye If caught before age 10 there are ways to improve the amblyopia eye. Amblyopia does not progress. Whatever vision you developed in your amblyopia eye will remain the same.
Jason Randall Smith
Optometrist
The answer to your question is NO. But, I must define blindness in 2 ways. Legal blindness is 20/200 or less which is 10X off from 20/20. So, yes, untreated amblyopia can cause a vision reduction which is legal blindness. But will amblyopia cause a permanent vision loss where there is no vision from the amblyopic eye? NO, unless there is another serious medical condition or serious eye condition besides the amblyopia.
Amblyopia is defined as a decrease in vision, usually in 1 eye caused by refractive problems such as high myopia or high hyperopia with astigmatism or from strabismus, an eye turning, or a "lazy" eye. The brain does not receive a clear picture when looking at the distance or close, so the brain is never "turned on" to see clearly in the affected eye. And if this visual process of seeing clearly is not turned on, it can affect vision forever, unless found early enough.
That is why it is so important to "catch" this problem early in life through school screenings, at an eye doctor's office, or at a family doctor's office. If amblyopia can be found early, there may be some improvement in this visual condition using lenses. If an eye turn is caused by a muscle condition, eye muscle surgery can sometimes help in the long-term prognosis and hopefully improve vision. It is those people who are older and the amblyopia has not been diagnosed nor treated who will have reduced vision forever regardless of any intervention attempted.
Your eye doctor should provide you your actual corrected visual acuity in the amblyopia eye. What treatment is being considered including contact lenses or glasses? If you have strabismic amblyopia, is eye muscle surgery something that is being considered from a cosmetic standpoint and a visual correction perspective? Good luck and best wishes.
Amblyopia is defined as a decrease in vision, usually in 1 eye caused by refractive problems such as high myopia or high hyperopia with astigmatism or from strabismus, an eye turning, or a "lazy" eye. The brain does not receive a clear picture when looking at the distance or close, so the brain is never "turned on" to see clearly in the affected eye. And if this visual process of seeing clearly is not turned on, it can affect vision forever, unless found early enough.
That is why it is so important to "catch" this problem early in life through school screenings, at an eye doctor's office, or at a family doctor's office. If amblyopia can be found early, there may be some improvement in this visual condition using lenses. If an eye turn is caused by a muscle condition, eye muscle surgery can sometimes help in the long-term prognosis and hopefully improve vision. It is those people who are older and the amblyopia has not been diagnosed nor treated who will have reduced vision forever regardless of any intervention attempted.
Your eye doctor should provide you your actual corrected visual acuity in the amblyopia eye. What treatment is being considered including contact lenses or glasses? If you have strabismic amblyopia, is eye muscle surgery something that is being considered from a cosmetic standpoint and a visual correction perspective? Good luck and best wishes.
Not necessarily. Best to discuss with your Ophthalmologist regarding the cause of the amblyopia.
Amblyopia will not lead to blindness (where you will lose all vision and only see black/darkness), but it can lead to significantly reduced vision or blurry vision in one eye. This is due to a poor neural connection between one eye and the brain. Most people with Amblyopia will have one eye that is correctable to 20/20, while the other eye is unable to see 20/20 even with the best prescription in glasses or contacts. Amblyopia can be treated with a combination of glasses or contacts along with vision exercises, called vision therapy, to help reconnect the eye-brain connection.
