Amblyopia

Also known as Lay Eye. A developmental disorder that affects two to three percent of children from birth to age seven.  A visual condition in which the vision in one eye is weaker than the other because the affected eye and the brain are not working together properly.  The brain ignores the images from the weaker eye and uses only those from the stronger eye.  This leads to deteriorating vision in the weaker eye.  Both eyes appear normal, but do not see equally.  Symptoms include an eye that wanders or does not move with the other eye, eyes that do not fix on the same point, crying or complaining when one eye is covered, squinting or tilting the head to look at something, or an upper eyelid that droops.  Treatment includes patching of the stronger eye or insertion of atropine in the stronger eye to force more use of the weaker eye.