Amblyopia Surgery

The eyes are an extremely sensitive organ and defects in the eyes need timely treatment. Being an extremely delicate organ, complex eye problems are often treated with medications and other methods instead of surgeries. Eye surgeries are always the last option for curing any eye disease. Amblyopia surgery is a similar eye surgery that is done to eliminate the problem of vision in the eyes.

What is Amblyopia?

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye is a medical condition that affects the vision of the person. When a person is affected by this vision disorder, it is not possible for the vision problem to be corrected by spectacles or the contact lenses. This increases the complexity of the problem and so seeking medical advice becomes the last option. Basically, in this eye defect the mind's ability to perceive and process information about the image lessens or to say decreases to alarming levels. This defect is not due to any eye structure problem or any other defect in the eyes. Amblyopia surgery however is believed by some medical experts to be a safe and simple treatment procedure for this eye problem. Some eye doctors don't have much faith on this procedure.

Causes of Amblyopia

Generally, the cause of amblyopia can be tracked back to childhood vision problems. Children having problems of eye diseases in the developmental phase (0 - 6 years) are prone to develop amblyopia. According to the medical experts, constant lateral strabismus is the most general cause of lazy eye. Complete eye examination of the children is necessary to track the growth of strabismus. Anisometropia, a medical condition in which both eyes are provided with prescriptions that are different, can also cause amblyopia. Eye injury and retinal tumor are some other causes of amblyopia.

Surgery for Amblyopia

The symptoms of amblyopia are very difficult to check out so an expert pediatric doctor is always recommended for the children. Similarly, the diagnosis of the amblyopia is also difficult to handle and hence requires expert guidance.

The amblyopia surgery is not recommended by some doctors, because according to them there are not enough medical data to support the success of these surgeries. The supporters of this surgery however firmly believe in its effectiveness. Since the question is of child's eye, it is always best to try all the non-surgical treatments before going for this surgery. The surgery is recommended in case of child's amblyopia that has been caused by the unilateral strabismus. Parents must discuss with their pediatric doctors the option of follow-up surgeries after the first operation. This is essential because proper alignment of the eyes can't be done in a single procedure. The eye has to be improved for both, the cosmetic development as well as for vision. There have been cases when the amblyopia surgery has been successful after it was coupled with vision correction techniques. Generally, strasbismus and amblyopia are confused to be the same in children and this makes the diagnosis a serious matter. Amblyopia needs early detection, at least before 17 years of age, because after that age it's difficult to control amblyopia. Strabismus on the other hand can be treated at any age.

The cost of this eye surgery usually ranges between USD 1000 to USD 3000 and depends on various factors like the processes carried out and techniques used. Lazy eye surgery or amblyopia surgery , although is not very popular among all doctors, with patient care and vigilance, it can be very effective.