I was told that my child has a lazy eye, what does that mean?

Lazy eye or more properly called Amblyopia, means that the central vision in one eye does not properly develop.  It affects 2-3 percent of the population.  Functionally the amblyopic eye has the capacity to see, but the brain turns off the eye because the vision is so blurry.  The brain chooses to use the other stronger eye.  The main causes of amblyopia are a strong uncorrected refractive error(nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) or strabismus.  Strabismus means that the eyes are not properly aligned and do not work together as a team, such as one eye turning in or out constantly.  Amblyopia usually develops before the age of six.  This is another reason to schedule yearly eye exams for your children at Eyeworks.