Is there a cure for lazy eye(amblyopia) I am 23 is it too late?

Answer 1

most doctors as well as most medical studies of amblyopia agree that past the "critical period" (birth to age 8), not much can be done.

there is a new study that says minimal progress can be made after age 8 with aggressive amblyopia therapy, but the progress is just that: minimal. and the time/effort investment for that minimal progress would likely be significant.

so the short version is...yes, by most standards and in the opinions of most eye professionals...its probably too late in a 23 year old.

edit: and dont listen to anyone who says anything having to do with the word "Bates".

Answer 2

I am going to disagree, to a degree, with my respected colleagues.

23 is late, but it's not necessarily impossible.

I have seen some people respond to a surprising degree at that age and older, though most people who try beyond the age of twelve put in effort and time (and money) and are disappointed by the lack of progress.
If you are determined, you would not be risking anything in your eyesight to try, as long as you understood from the beginning that it was "odds against", not a "sure thing."

The brain's adaptibility (and it is principally a neural isssue ) drops off with age, Some text-books put the age limit for effective change at 12, but there's no absolute consensus, with other opinions going higher and lower than that.

The first requirement is to establish WHY the eye is lazy.
The vision can fail to develop for more than one reason.
There may or may not be a mis-alignment of the eyes, a turn, squint or strabismus. Getting the eyes straight if that's possible or desirable is a separate issue from attempting to produce better vision in the lazy (amblyopic) eye.

There is likely to be a refractive error in the lazy eye, and that must be corrected. The eye's retina will need a good image to work with.

This done, the basic technique involves patching off the good eye, forcing the brain to work with the lazy one. Specific visually demanding tasks can be added to just plain occlusion.
With an older eye patching for longer periods for more time is likely to be required, but this will also vary with how deep the amblyopia is to begin with.

For good results, this does really need to be done under the supervision of an optical professional. Just "having a go with a patch for a while" is not likely to achieve much.

(answer part cut-and paste from another of my recent replies)

Optometrist, retired.

Answer 3

It is too late. Amblyopia must be caught and treated for at a young age; before the age of 6 or 7 is best. Beyond that, the damage is irreparable, unfortunately.

**EDIT** Amblyopia has nothing to do with the muscles in your eyes, unless the amblyopia is brought on by strabismus, which IS a muscular misalignment of the eyes. Amblyopia has to do with the receptors in the eye being under developed, usually (but not always) due to a strong refractive error. When it is caught in early childhood, the eye and the brain can be retrained to work together. The brain cannot process two different images, so it tunes the images from the lazy eye, out.

If the ambloyia is due to strabismus, at a young age, surgery can be done to correct the strabismus and the amblyopia can often times be taken care of. As an adult, you can have surgery to correct the strabismus to keep the eyes aligned, but it will not restore vision in the affected eye.

So to you who says that the doctor and I are essentially wrong, I suggest you do a little more research.

Oh - and just because you wear glasses, Sandor, does NOT make you an expert on eyes, glasses, or conditions and diseases of the eye. You recommend getting a book by an "eye professional" and I recommend the poster of this question take the advice of eye professionals.

Answer 4

It might not be too late. It is an individual thing. I would visit an eye doctor. They may prescribe eye therapy exercises (not the Bates method or any other quackery). If you are cross-sighted, they may prescribe prisms or perform surgery, depending on how severe it is.

Like the doctor at the bottom said, you may have a refractive disorder in the lazy eye. For that eye to stand any chance of correction, you would need any refractive disorders treated in it. That would probably be done with retinoscopy and/or an autorefractor.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

My sister had this problem. She was born slightly cross-eyed but it wasn't obvious from looking at her. She was found to have amblyopia at around the age of seven. The doctors tried to improve the vision in her bad eye through patches and glasses but they didn't help. To this day, she has practically no sight in one eye and suffers from poor depth perception.

Answer 7

At 23 it is far too late

Answer 8

Well, lazy eyes can be corrected with therapy or vision training. However, I would just ask the eye doctor.

Answer 9

Yes, the cure, being active.