Lazy Eye News and Research

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Amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye, is a disorder of the visual system that is characterized by poor or indistinct vision in an eye that is otherwise physically normal, or out of proportion to associated structural abnormalities. It has been estimated to affect 1–5% of the population.

New research recasts timeline for development of the brain's vision-processing center

The visual cortex, the human brain's vision-processing center that was previously thought to mature and stabilize in the first few years of life, actually continues to develop until sometime in the late 30s or early 40s, a McMaster neuroscientist and her colleagues have found.

30 May 2017

Visual cortex of the brain develops gradually throughout life, study reveals

A study of post-mortem brain tissue reveals the human primary visual cortex (V1) develops gradually throughout life.

30 May 2017

UofL ophthalmic scientist receives grant for improving recovery from amblyopia

Aaron W. McGee, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, has received the Disney Award for Amblyopia Research in the amount of $100,000 from Research to Prevent Blindness.

14 Nov 2016

Trifocal lenses: the best chance of true spectacle independence?

Trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) represent the latest in premium lens technology. They are tiny, artificial lenses that are implanted into the eye during a cataract or lens replacement procedure.

28 Sep 2016

Understanding brain circuit development: an interview with Dr Hollis Cline

There's a tremendous amount known about brain circuit development. Our work was inspired by experiments that were done over 50 years ago by scientists at Harvard University, Hubel and Wiesel. They received a Nobel Prize for their work and have inspired many additional experiments over the last 50 or 60 years.

10 Aug 2016

New UAB study shows connection between ADHD and vision problems in children

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most frequently encountered neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, and a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently published in Optometry and Vision Science shows a relationship between ADHD and vision impairments in children.

25 Feb 2016

New treatment for adults with lazy eye one step closer to reality

A new treatment for adults with lazy eye, a condition previously thought to be treatable only in childhood, is one step closer as a result of research from the University of Waterloo in Canada and Sun Yat-sen University in China.

23 Feb 2016

Incidence of childhood myopia has more than doubled over last 50 years among American children

The largest study of childhood eye diseases ever undertaken in the U.S. confirms that the incidence of childhood myopia among American children has more than doubled over the last 50 years. The findings echo a troubling trend among adults and children in Asia, where 90 percent or more of the population have been diagnosed with myopia, up from 10 to 20 percent 60 years ago.

21 Jan 2016

Study identifies amblyopia as key factor for poor reading in school-age children

Children with amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye," may have impaired ocular motor function. This can result in difficulties in activities for which sequential eye movements are important, such as reading.

23 Nov 2015

Study: Programmable electronic glasses help improve vision in children diagnosed with lazy eye

A new study on lazy eye found that programmable electronic glasses help improve vision in children just as well as the more traditional treatment using eye patches. This "digital patch" is the first new effective treatment for lazy eye in half a century. Results from the first U.S. trial of this device will be presented at AAO 2015, the 119th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

15 Nov 2015

New approaches to treating amblyopia

Amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy-eye," has been classically treated by patching the strong eye to force the weaker eye to be used. However, the concept of binocular dysfunction, in which the brain suppresses the image from the weaker eye in favor of the stronger eye, has motivated new approaches to amblyopia treatment.

15 Oct 2015

Laser eye surgery: a glimpse into the future - An interview with Professor Dan Reinstein

LASIK (Laser In Situ Keratomileusis) creates a hinged flap with a microkeratome and evaporating corneal tissue under the flap with an excimer laser. However, the concept that refractive error could be corrected by sculpting corneal stromal tissue to change corneal curvature was the brainchild of Jose Ignacio Barraquer Moner in 1948.

9 Aug 2015

New research may aid in treatment of vision problems like lazy eye

If you have two working eyes, you are live streaming two images of the world into your brain. Your brain combines the two to produce a view of the world that appears as though you had a single eye -- like the Cyclops from Greek mythology.

25 Jul 2015

Expert panel recommends vision health screening in preschool-aged children

All children should undergo vision health screening between age 36 and 72 months--preferably every year--using evidence-based test methods and with effective referral and follow-up, according to recommendations published in the January issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

12 Dec 2014

Endothelin gene expression linked to vision loss in premature babies

A gene known to play a major role in constricting blood vessels also appears to be a major player in the aberrant blood vessel growth that can destroy the vision of premature babies.

11 Nov 2014

Surgical treatment of strabismus can be carried out at any age

Around four per cent of all newborn children have a squint. In about 50 per cent of cases, this can be corrected with appropriate glasses, however the other half require treatment for their squint and in some cases even squint surgery.

8 Oct 2014

Tel Aviv University researchers discover link between sharp vision and the brain's processing speed

Middle-aged adults who suddenly need reading glasses, patients with traumatic brain injuries, and people with visual disorders such as "lazy eye" may have one thing in common --"visual crowding," an inability to recognize individual items surrounded by multiple objects. Visual crowding makes it impossible to read, as single letters within words are rendered illegible. And basic cognitive functions such as facial recognition can also be significantly hampered. Scientists and clinicians currently attribute crowding to a disorder in peripheral vision.

5 Mar 2014

Neuroscientist receives $1.7M NIH grant to continue groundbreaking visual perception research

A University of California, Riverside neuroscientist has been awarded a five-year, $1.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to continue groundbreaking research that may lead to new therapies for individuals with amblyopia (lazy eye), dry macular degeneration and cataracts.

31 Oct 2013

Short-term hearing loss during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits

Short-term hearing loss during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits, long after basic auditory sensitivity has returned to normal. The processing of sound in the brain is shaped by early experience.

1 Oct 2013

Neurobiologists reveal new approach to correcting visual disorders in children

By discovering the role of key neurons that mediate an important part of vision development, UC Irvine and UCLA neurobiologists have revealed a new approach to correcting visual disorders in children who suffer from early cataracts or amblyopia, also known as lazy eye.

27 Aug 2013