Hope Found for Effective Treatment of Amblyopia

"A new discovery by a University of Maryland-led research team offers hope for treating 'lazy eye' and other serious visual problems that are usually permanent unless they are corrected in early childhood," according to Science Digest. "During the so-called "critical period" when a young child's brain is adapting very quickly to new experiences, the brain builds a powerful neural network connecting the stronger eye to the visual cortex. But the weaker eye gets less stimulation and develops fewer synapses, or points of connection between neurons. Over time the brain learns to ignore the weaker eye. Mild forms of amblyopia such as 'lazy eye' result in problems with depth perception. In the most severe form, deprivation amblyopia, a cataract blocks light and starves the eye of visual experiences, significantly altering synaptic development and seriously impairing vision." Read more.