Question
A 7-year-old boy has experienced a significant decline in his vision. What should be done to treat his amblyopia?
Answer
The child’s declining vision may be due to myopic amblyopia combined with strabismus, leading to different levels of clarity in the retinas of both eyes. The fovea of the eye with higher refractive power appears larger and blurred, resulting in insufficient convergence stimulation between the eyes and inability to form binocular single vision, thereby causing passive suppression. When the refractive power difference between both eyes is 300 degrees or more, the eye with higher refractive power often leads to amblyopia and strabismus. The severity of amblyopia is not related to the degree of refractive difference but is associated with the nature of fixation. Individuals with para-central fixation tend to have more severe amblyopia, which is similar in nature to strabismic amblyopia and is functional and reversible. Sometimes, it can be difficult to distinguish whether the amblyopia originates from refractive error or is secondary to strabismus. If detected early, timely use of glasses can prevent it.