Question
My child is now 3 years old, and we have noticed that his eyes are a bit crossed. What could be the problem?
Answer
Amblyopia is an eye disease that may affect the visual development of young children, with an incidence rate of approximately 2% to 5% in infants. Early treatment can help improve the vision of some children, even restoring it to normal. A special reminder to parents: the golden period for treating amblyopia is between 3 and 6 years old. Beyond this age, the effectiveness of treatment will significantly decrease, and it may even become ineffective. Common causes of amblyopia include refractive errors, with myopia being the most common type, with some children also having astigmatism. This is usually due to incomplete development of the infant’s eyes, with shorter eye axes, causing light to not focus correctly on the retina, resulting in blurred vision. In this case, it’s as if the camera’s dark box is too short, and the photos it takes will be blurry. Children with amblyopia may experience blurred vision, sitting too close to watch TV, and children with monocular amblyopia may also have a tendency to tilt their heads while looking at objects. During vision tests, there may be a decrease in monocular or binocular vision, and this decrease cannot be corrected to normal levels through wearing glasses. Some children may also have strabismus. Treatment methods mainly include: using 1% atropine for mydriasis to determine the degree of refractive error; wearing glasses with appropriate prescription based on the results of the refraction; undergoing amblyopia training, such as covering the normal eye to strengthen the vision of the amblyopic eye, performing fine motor skill training such as writing and threading, and using amblyopia treatment devices, performing 1 to 2 sessions daily for 10 to 20 minutes each time. Once the vision is improved to normal levels, it should be observed for 2 years under medical guidance before it can be considered cured. Amblyopia…