New treatment for adults with amblyopia
Written on January 5, 2006 – | by Lois (admin)
Here’s an interesting news item. Is anyone reading this that has used it? An article entitled Treatment seems to Help Adults With Lazy Eye published at Forbes says a “new treatment developed by the University of Southern California (USC) and three Chinese universities” may help adults with amblyopia.
The article goes on to say, “The new treatment involves training the patients to detect a small gabor, a set of contrasting ovals.” An average of 70% improvement in vision of adults with amblyopia was reported, with no improvement in those without amblyopia.
Especially interesting is that info says it may be developed as a home training program. Of course there is the issue of how much it will cost and if insurance will cover it. I’m sure the bottom line for each will be, will it work for me?
63 Responses to “New treatment for adults with amblyopia”
By David Leeder on Mar 8, 2006 | Reply
Hi there, I am a 25 year old white male from Alberta Canada that suffers with amblyopia in my left eye. I have got down on my eye sight constantly (it really is something you cannot ignore). I have always hoped that I would one day be a candidate for some sort of study like this as I did not sucessfuly patch as a child like so many others. If anyone here has any further information on this could you please email me at jdleeder@gmail.com. I would be very excited to take part in anything that gives a glimmer of hope for me to improve my lazy eye.
David Leeder
By Lois (admin) on Mar 8, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for writing, David.
You might write to USC and see if there are any further research studies going on. Or see if they can provide you with more info about it.
You could also do some searches on institutions and individuals named in the item I linked above, and searches combining key words like “oval amblyopia gabor” for example, or just “amblyopia research.”
The publication “Vision Research,” which was mentioned in the article, can be found here:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/263/description#description and in the right column of that page there is a link to “Free journal content” which will allow you to read the table of content and abstracts.
If you find anything out about it, be sure to come back here and let us know.
Lois
By andy lecce on Jul 4, 2006 | Reply
I am a 40 year old male who has been dealing with myoplia since childhood. After going to the eye doctor in early 2005, he gave me glasses, and since I us ethe computer constantly, I am really seeing the lazy activity pick up from when I am tired to where it is really constant throughout the day, at least 4 to 5 times a day. My dad has just found he has cataracts and needs surgery. I have read that cataracts are inevitable with this condition. Could a patch help me now? What can I do, I will do whatever at
this point, it is getting really bad. Thanks
By Lois (admin) on Jul 4, 2006 | Reply
Andy,
When you say you have “myoplia,” are you referring to Myopia (near sightedness) or Amblyopia (See my February 18, 2006 post for an explanation of Amblyopia.) I didn’t understand what condition your dad has that you are thinking caused cataracts. My understanding (though I’m not an expert) is that cataracts are a natural result of aging. I guess you could say they are inevitable if you live long enough. Here is a good explanation of cataracts.
If you are suffering from amblyopia or strabismus (turned or drifting eye) a patch may help. But you should do it under the supervision of a doctor trained in Vision Therapy. Doing it wrong may cause more harm than good, and a Vision Therapist will have a lot more to offer than just patching the eye. Click the “Find vision therapy dr.” link in the right sidebar.
Lois
By Ryan on Sep 1, 2006 | Reply
I am a 31 year old amblyopic (left eye) and have been researching it for years. Some things that I have found that are at
least interesting are 1. a company called NeuroVision - a software company that developed a program specifically for adult
amblyopia and 2. a doctor by the name of Richard Collier in Allen, TX (Dallas area). The neurovision treatment did improve
my vision however, for me personally, it intensified my double vision and I have since ceased treatment. Dr. Collier is an
eye doctor with an exceptional, self taught background in neurology. Through prisms, lense tinting and other measures, I
have attained stereo vision, although my work with Dr. Collier is in its early stages.
By waleed on Sep 13, 2006 | Reply
Hi, my name is waleed from Saudi Arabia, I am 26 year old. I have AMBLYOPIA caused by squint in my right eye. I had failed operation to straight the eye. I do not know if glasses may do help to correct and treat the AMBLYOPIA.
I found this website marketing for a product helps in treat AMBLYOPIA invented by Chinese man.
http://www.myopia.org.uk/
does these products helps???
thanks
engr.waleed@hotmail.com
By Amber on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
Hello, I live in Los Angeles and I am a 26 year old healthy female. I was born with strabimus & amblyopia and have had 6 surgeries to correct it. Cosmetically, it is the best it will ever be (so I have been told), but I see my left eye drifting out more and more these days and I’m concerned about it getting worse. I would love to find someone who could work with me. I patched as a child, but my case was fairly severe.
By Charlie VanNorman on Feb 11, 2007 | Reply
Hi, I’m 24 and have amblyopia in my left eye, and I want to speak to other people who have tried procedures to improve their vision in their “lazy” eye before I do any procedures myself. If you have had any experience in this, please contact me so we can talk! Ryan, who posted above, I would like to talk to you if you ever revisit this thread. Thanks in advance to anyone who may contact me. ccvn83@gmail.com
By Lois (admin) on Feb 11, 2007 | Reply
Our Strabismus Support group is a great resource. You can talk with people who have strabismus about what procedures they have done and how it has worked. For more info, see:
http://eyesapart.com/2006/10/25/strabismus-support-group/
By Christian on Mar 2, 2007 | Reply
My name is Christian and i am 16 years old and suffering from amblyopia in my left eye which at my last eye exam scored a miserable 20/200 vision. I live in the UK and i heard about that neurovision but the place where they do it has stopped doing it after a takeover by optical express. is there any news on that treatment being deveolped in china and if it would be coming over to Britain aswell?
Thanks,
Chris
By Kalli on Mar 15, 2007 | Reply
Hi, I have just been to the doctors, and asked him all sorts of questions. I thought I’d mention what he said to me.
I am 26, so there’s not much I can do to regain any sight in my left eye. I could try wearing the patch, but it’s not going to help significantly. As for wondering, he said that our eyes are in sync, which means if my right eye is tired it will effect my left eye, hence why at the end of the day I can see my left eye wondering off. Glasses will help this by allowing the right eye not to work so hard. And for protecting the eye, he said be sure to wear protective goggles when doing any sort of outdoor work, or even when hammering a nail into the wall. It would be awful for any of us to loose sight in our good eye. And Always wear sunglasses with UV A and UV B protection. Hope this helps, and if anyone has anything else regarding advance treatment of this condition.. it would be most helpful.
By Anthony on Mar 18, 2007 | Reply
hello guys,
i live in kenya and dint even know there was ANY research out there on strabismus. am 34 and ave had amblyopia and strabismus since birth. i have worn glasses since when i was about six years old as my eyesight was extremely poor in both eyes. of course this worsened when ambloypia hit my left eye which was weaker as i struggled to see through my right. last year i took a chance and had laser surgery which corrected the vision in both eyes magnificently.
the doctor who did it is fairly confident of correcting the strabismus in my left eye. so am going back this year to see what happens. doesnt have to be perfect but at least to reduce the extent to which i always have to turn my head. be brave fellas. go for it but make SURE you get the right doctor first.
Aluta continua!
By Yaser on Mar 23, 2007 | Reply
Hey guys I just went to the optician and found out that I have amblyopia in my left eye. He said that there is nothing I can do about it at all but what really makes me think is why my previous optician gave me a different result by telling me that I do not have amblyopia.
I am planning to go to optical express and getting some advice as my eyes to tend to get itchy and burn frequently also I have notice that I tend to miss thing e.g. I do not see my friends and actually walk pass them.
I wanted to ask kalli if you do wear sunglasses with UV A and UV B protection is it like normal glasses or not?
Thanks Hope you all get better treatment.
By Net Ridley on Apr 30, 2007 | Reply
Hey There: Now in my mid fifties, I’ve had estropic strabismus with amblyopia since childhood. (eye turns in and down). For 50 yrs, I had no issues, as my brain aptly placed a suppression on focusing of the deviant eye to prevent double vision. However, out of the blue, this suppression has lifted and that eye is now fighting to focus. I now have a form of double vision and extreme problems reading or using the computer. I’ve seen a number of vision therapists & surgeons. I’m NOT currently a candidate for surgery as the vertical issue is too severe. I’m told that vision therapy will probably work, but will take years and then surgery will most likely be necessary as the double vision will have worstened considerably. I’m further advised that there are NO guarantees with the increased double vision then permanent. Any suggestions from anyone? Thanks. nettie.ridley@xplornet.com
By david on May 8, 2007 | Reply
I’m 33, currently living in Los Angeles,California. I have scheduled an appointment w/ an opthalmologist concerning my amblyopic left eye which has been present since birth but has gotten considerable worse within the past 2 years. I am going to the Jule Stein Eye Institute at UCLA which specializes in eye disorders. Hopefully I can get some sort of treatment. What I’m most concerned about is any neurological degradation. At times I feel as though my brain is shutting down and I really have to concentrate in order to have my left eye in-line with my right (the good eye).
I’d like to know if anyone else is experiencing the same thing regarding concentration and vision.
By jules on May 13, 2007 | Reply
Hi,
I have a lazy right eye, and I wear glasses for long sightedness.. I am now 33years old - and what what I understand the situation as an adult is irreversible. Generally I don’t notice that my right eye can barely see anything (I can only make out the largest letters on the Opticians board when the left eye is covered - and thats not very clear) as my left eye compensates really well. However, as I am getting older I feel that the eye strain on my good eye as it compensates for the lazy eye will cause it to deteriorate and I will hardly to be able to see at all when I am old. If there is anything that can be done, I would be interested.
By david on May 24, 2007 | Reply
I’m back from my appt with the Jules Stein Eye Institute. Just as I feared, the only treatment option I have is surgery which is not really an options for me.
I was offered to participate with their ongoing research on strabismus. If I decide to participate, they will be measuring my eye movements using magnets and contacts with an embedded metal coil. They will also be performing an MRI on my eye muscles. I’ll let you know if I do this.
By Emre on May 28, 2007 | Reply
Dear `lazy eye` owners…
I felt very excited while reading the lines above because each post has given me the feeling of `yes, this is what i feel` kind of impression. I have the same lazy situation on my left and at age of 26 thinking more about: what will happen than…I guess we all feel the same as we get older, what happens if an unexpected sudden threat to my good eye. All our searches shows us there are some outcomes of recent sutidies and we all expect an approved treatment for our lazy friend thinking that `I may give my all to have both eyes functioning well`.
I was give up searching a treatment after a response of the doctor saying `there is nothing to do for!!!`. I always hate this kind of approach, there should be something…Anyway, recent researches shows that soon we will all have a treatment at least to see more…
Regards…
By Ramesh on May 29, 2007 | Reply
I agree with Emre. There should be some kind of treatment for this problem in adults. I’m 28 years old and having the “lazy eye” ever since the age of 2. My useless parents failed to treat the squint during my childhood (due to lack of awareness and financial problems combined), for which I’m suffering a lot since then. I’ve even thought about finishing off my life, but don’t have the guts to do so
My right eye can barely see objects, and can’t even read text when placed very near. It’s 90% inop. In the past 1 year, I’m experiencing burning and itching feeling in my right eye (lazy eye), and there seems to be no cure for amblyopia in adults. Doctors ask me to “take things positively that you have atleast one working eye, rather than living a completely blind person on earth”.
By david on Jun 4, 2007 | Reply
i emailed the USC doctor (http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/11935.html)in charge of the lazy eye research and received this response:
Dear David: Thanks for your interest in our research.
We are currently testing the training program in some home
sitings. Will keep your info on file and send you
a copy of the program once we conclude our tests
successfully. Sincerely, Zhong-Lin Lu
By Ashlee on Jun 9, 2007 | Reply
Hi, I am 17 and I have had amblyopia since i was around 3 i think. I am just wondering if there is a chance of getting my vision back by using all these methods said on this page, even though my doctor told me there was no way my eye could ever recover. I’ve talked to him about surgery to correct my slightly crooked left eye, and he told me not to bother with trying, and it wouldn’t help. He said it would be a waste. Is this true?
By joel on Jun 11, 2007 | Reply
hi im 19 and i have lazy left eye. lately i have started to notice that i get a sort of double vision whenever i try to focus on small points in my line of vision (like stars or l.e.d. lights) and i think my left eye is starting to drift . i was wondering if any of you older guys have noticed the relationship between your two eyes has got worse with age.
surely in this day and age a cure is posible. do any of you guys know of any research involving neural pathway strengthening with stem cells?
By Angel on Jun 12, 2007 | Reply
I have Amblyopia in my right eye since birth, I am 38 years. This condition has cause me to loose many job opportunities that required near perfect vision. This has been something that has really hurt my dreams of a career that I can enjoy. Is there anyone out there that has ever been able to improve their vision.
By Jim on Jun 21, 2007 | Reply
Hello,
My name is Jim and I have Amblyopia in my left eye. Last time it was checked it was around 20/240. My right eye has always adjusted well. So much so that I played baseball through high school and was always a strong hitter (something I later learned was something of a miracle considering my non-stereo vision). Anyway…now I am 37 and realize that there are (still) basically no treatments. I am just worried that my good eye will eventually get worse or become damaged in some way. My bad eye doesn’t drift or seem to be getting any worse (has been 20/240 since I was about 8).
What has been your experiences?
Thanks,
Jim
By Jeremy on Jun 22, 2007 | Reply
Hi,
I’m glad to have found this site. I’ve had amblyopia in my left eye since I was two. My vision is about 20/200 in the bad eye. I’m 36 and have spent most of my life without being really conscious at all about my poor vision. It’s only recently that I’ve been able to tie my difficulties reading and concentrating to my vision. I quit a very good, visually oriented career (software programming) because it got demanding to the point that I couldn’t concentrate well enough to program confidently. It’s very depressing. I’m glad there are forums for us to share our stories. It’s nice to know we’re not alone in our experience.
Best,
Jeremy
By Billy on Jun 23, 2007 | Reply
I’m glad there are sights like this, so we can all share what we have to deal with. I’ve had a lazy right eye since I was about 2 y/o. I’m able to drive and everything, but barely. It’s strange, it’s like everything looks the same size in my right as is in my left, but it’s just like my brain can’t understand what it’s seeing. I don’t know if that makes sense to anybody else, but I’m totally with the person from Allen, TX I live about 1 hour from Dallas myself, and it seems like eye doctors here either don’t know or just don’t care to deal with us. Anybody else have that problem?
-Billy
By Temika on Jul 7, 2007 | Reply
I have a lazy that my mom did not take care as a child i have fiur girls and i thank god they do not have to deal with this can somebody help us I know God is a healer
By Beca on Jul 23, 2007 | Reply
Hello all,
My 34 yr old Husband has suffered from ambylopia in his left eye since he was a child. I’m not finding much for help other than the treatment in another country. He was to wear a patch when he was a child but no one enforced it. So that never helped. We are now discussing ourselves if he should just try the patch on his own. For say a couple hours a day. His vision is 20/50 in ambylopic eye and 20/17 in his good eye. This probably sounds like nothing compared to other cases I am reading about. But due to his line of work it is crucial to have great vision. Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated..
Becky
By Lois (admin) on Jul 24, 2007 | Reply
Becky,
Have you checked the link in the sidebar at right under “Vision-related organizations/find vision therapy dr.” to see if you can find someone who may be able to help in your area?
I would suggest he find a Vision Therapy doctor who can guide him in what is best for him if at all possible. Children whose visual development and brain/eye connections are still forming can often be helped with things that are not helpful with adults. There are likely advanced techniques in the field now also. Especially if he needs great vision, he should see a specialist if at all possible.
Lois
By Anthony on Jul 30, 2007 | Reply
david,
I like to know how you’re doing with the ongoing treatment, with UCLA and if USC ever get back to you.
I’m 34 and have lazy eye (left) all my life. Like you, I feel like half of my brain is shutting down.
Please keep posting here, and let me know. I’d drive down to USC to ask around, if I haven’t read your reply from Zhong-Lin Lu.
By david on Jul 31, 2007 | Reply
#30, Anthony,
UCLA never got back to me regarding the strabismus/amblyopia research.
and I have not heard anything other than that single response from USC. I encourage you to email the USC Dr. I found his email by doing a search. I’m sure he can be found in the USC directory.
other than that, i havnt pursued any other treatment options. surgery, for me, is not an option.
By Deepak on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
I have 19 years old and have had a lazy eye(left) all my life . I had undergone patching in my early years but not with so much conviction.
I have heard a lot about vision therapy and other therapies which claim to improve the vision in the lazy eye with age as no bar. Can you please guide me if there have been any recent advances regarding lazy eye treatment and wether vision therapies do work?. It woukld be great to hear on this subject.
By Lois (admin) on Aug 16, 2007 | Reply
Vision therapy has helped me a great deal. I’ve also had two surgeries, and they eventually helped also. My suggestion is to find an Optometrist who does vision therapy and see for yourself what they offer. You may want to talk with an eye muscle surgeon also so you can get a good perspective on what your options are. You can search for both under “vision-related organizations” in the sidebar.
If vision therapy does not help you, you still have the option of surgery. There is little risk with vision therapy compared to the risks of surgery, and many people have been helped by vision therapy.
You can search this blog for vision therapy or look at the “vision therapy” link on the sidebar for more help. You can also talk with others who have had vision therapy in our Eyes Apart Strabismus support group here:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EyesApart/
or click the link on the sidebar to join.
Hope this helps,
Lois
By david on Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
hi. im following up with my past posts.
i never did participate w/ the strabismus research at UCLA since they never called me.
but good news. i’ve been taking an antidepressant, Wellbutrin SR 150mg (generic), and it’s been helping alot with the floating eye. i feel as though both eyes are working together again. i’ve been on the drugs for 2 weeks now for mild depression.
By david on Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
heres a link that mentions that levodopa (precursor to dopamine) seems to improve the amplyopic eye.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10937461&dopt=AbstractPlus
Paediatr Drugs. 2000 Mar-Apr;2(2):91-100.Links
The role of drug treatment in children with strabismus and amblyopia.
Chatzistefanou KI, Mills MD.
“The neurotransmitter precursor levodopa and the related compound citicoline have been demonstrated to improve vision in amblyopic eyes. The therapeutic role of these centrally acting agents in the clinical management of amblyopia remains unproven.”
By Lois (admin) on Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
Wow, David, that’s very interesting. I’ve never heard of levodopa being used to treat amblyopia. I’m going to write this into an item about medical treatments of amblyopia to post to the front of the site next week. I’ll include a link to your comments in the post, as well as a link to the item you shared above. Thanks for passing this on!
Lois
P.S., I’m also going to share this with the Eyes Apart Strabismus Support group. Feel free to join there if you are not already a member:
http://www.eyesapart.com/2006/10/25/strabismus-support-group/
By david on Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
I want to clarify that posts #34 & #35 are related to eachother.
Since taking the Wellbutrin, I’ve noticed the improvement in my driting eye. I did a google search to see if there was a relationship between antidepressants and amblyopia and found that abstract.
Wellbutrin is a NDRI (norepenepherine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor) meaning that D & N reuptake is blocked so that more D & N is available to bind to receptors in the brain. Levodopa (l-dopa) is the precursor to dopamine. It is metabolized to dopamine in the brain.
It’s difficult to say what’s responsible for what I’m experiencing. It could either be a direct result of the increased dopamine or a side-effect of not being “depressed”. I do notice that it’s more difficult to keep the amblyopic eye focused when I’m tired, but since I’m more alert while on the antidepressant, it takes little effort to keep the eyes aligned.
By david on Sep 9, 2007 | Reply
just wanted to let everyone know that i’m no longer able to see well. it only lasted a day. i’ll be asking my doctor to raise my dosage of Wellbutrin to 300mg and see how things go from there.
i’m feeling pretty bummed out about it. it’s as if i won the lottery and it was all taken away from me the next day.
By Lois (admin) on Sep 14, 2007 | Reply
David, I’m so sorry your success was short-lived. If it’s any consolation, the lottery isn’t everything. Those of us with strabismus are fighters. We’ve had to be. We’re going to make it. Hopefully things are looking better now for you, even if your eyes do still struggle to focus. Please do keep us posted on how your search for help with amblyopia is going.
I just published a writeup about some of these things you’ve been talking about as a post on the front page of this site. For the permalink, see:
Drugs for strabismus and amblyopia: Connecting our eyes again
Thanks for sharing!
Lois
By Sreekanta on Sep 25, 2007 | Reply
hi,
I have a lazy Left eye, and I wear glasses .. I am now 33years old , from India - I consulted eye doctors, but they are telling lazy eyes are not curable at older age.
Is any one knows about the treatment for this please reply to my mail id Sreekanta.swamy@gmail.com
Regards
Sreekanta
By Lois (admin) on Sep 25, 2007 | Reply
Sreekanta,
Go to the
Find eye surgeon (International) search and the
fFind vision therapy dr. search to find doctors in your area who may be able to help. These links are also available in the right sidebar. You can also join our
Eyes Apart Strabismus Support email group to talk with others around the world who have strabismus (lazy eye). That group generates a lot of mail sometimes, but you can change your settings to receive it in digest format (one or two emails a day) or to read it on the web only if you like.
Best to you,
Lois
By liz on Sep 27, 2007 | Reply
hello,
I had crossed-eyes since a young child. at the age of 27 had surgery to correct. It was!!! Now at the age of 46, I notice that the eye is turning in. the MD said, he cannot take the risk to correct it again UNLESS it turns out more. Any thoughts son this??
thanks
By Sara on Oct 14, 2007 | Reply
I have had a lazy eye since birth, did eye patching as a child, but didn’t take to it very well. Now in my thirties and my left eye turns out all the time. Was told I could have eye surgery to line up the eye, but have been reading about Vision Therapy to exercise the brain to use both eyes together. Has anyone tried it?
By John on Dec 16, 2007 | Reply
I want to mention that I do believe that laser surgery is going to correct any condition of both amblyopia, and strabismus the day and age we live in now with regenerative medicine, as in adult stem cell research do to all of what can be detected with genetic screening before surgery! I have to say that the adult stem cell research therapy treatments are will mean that the brain will recognize the eyes fully restored to binocular function, and that they can also cause the eyes to not need either contacts, or glasses. I will look into having this stuff done on an inpatient basis at a university medical school hospital! I find doing what is mentioned is important to realign the brain pattern so that the brain will recognize the binocular function of the eyes! This is important so that then I can have perfect vision!
By John on Dec 16, 2007 | Reply
I want to mention that I do believe that laser surgery is going to correct any condition of both amblyopia, and strabismus the day and age we live in now with regenerative medicine, as in adult stem cell research do to all of what can be detected with genetic screening before surgery! I have to say that the adult stem cell research therapy treatments are will mean that the brain will recognize the eyes fully restored to binocular function, and that they can also cause the eyes to not need either contacts, or glasses. I will look into having this stuff done on an inpatient basis at a university medical school hospital! I find doing what is mentioned is important to realign the brain pattern so that the brain will recognize the binocular function of the eyes! This is important so that then I can have perfect vision! I have had to call these places where regenerative medicine is being practiced. My eye doctor, and his assistant have said that because of my age the vision in my right eye cannot be corrected, they do not see any reason for my wanting to go to a university hospital to have the surgery done. Now I told them that this is necessary to avoid the adverse effects of having problems with my eyes do to conventional surgery methods.
By Stacey on Jan 10, 2008 | Reply
Hi everyone. I am 32 and I too have had amblyopia (in my left eye) since I was a baby; I too did the eye patching, and it was completely unsuccessful. Its weird, I didnt realize so many people had amblyopia! And it seems like the left eye is most commonly effected.
At any rate, when I cover my right eye, not only can my left eye not really see much, but it starts to actually Black Out (like, half of what I see turns black). Does anyone else experience this??
I am also experiencing double vision, and when I am very tired, I can feel my left eye drifting. Its terrible. I have been to many doctors, who all tell me there is nothing I can do about it. I have 20/200 vision in the amblyotic eye.
Anyhow, its just nice to vent about this to people who understand. Even my family, who have known about this since I was a baby, think I’m being overdramatic. You try being legally blind in one eye!!
Anyhow, let me know if any of you have experienced vision blackouts like I stated above.
By janis on Jan 20, 2008 | Reply
Hi, I had strabismus and lazy eye since i was a child. I’ve had three eye surgeries, and as a 28 year old women, i am currently using prism glasses. My eye doctor told me they will help so that the two eyes come closer in order to focxus in an object. I also patch my good eye and practice using my “weak” eye. I try to do this for about 5 hours. I am trying to dfind a doctor who can perform vision therapy because I have heard that they use some special equipment in order to help the eyes get treated.
By Alison Richards on Jan 21, 2008 | Reply
Hey everyone! I want to start off my saying thanks to everyone writing on here.
I am 21, and I was born with amblyopia and strabismus. I have had 5 eye surgeries. My left is dominant, my right not so much haha. Recently I have been getting headaches and feel like my left eye (good eye) has been steadily getting worse. I am going to the eye doctor tomorrow for an exam to see what is going on, and I am going to look into vision therapy. A lot of people with my condition feel very lost and discouraged and I don’t blame them! I cannot have any more surgeries do to the fact that my muscles could collapse. BUT I am not hopeless. I am gonna get as much info as I can and will let you all know how my journey goes.
Please e-mail me if you have tried vision therapy and tell me how it went
or even if you feel lost and want to chat! :o)
broccoley@msn.com
never lose hope!
By Virginia on Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
Hey there!
So I was born with non-binocular amblyopia and strabismus in the left eye in 1987. Unfortunately my family was unfamiliar with the condition and I didn’t get to have my eyes checked by a doctor until I was 6. Then the BAD news… I was seeing 20/400 in my left eye, it was turned and in my right eye my vision is only 20/40. I patched continuously for a year and by the end I was seeing 20/60 in my formerly legally blind eye. (Left) I then underwent to strabismus correcting surgery. I was told that my left eye was originally turned in 12% and by the end of surgery it was turned in a mere 2%. Therefore, for anybody questioning out there, I definitely recommend the procedures and PLEASE have your children checked early… it’s KEY in best possible treatment.
Recently I have noticed some pains coming from either of my eyes… behind them. I feel that my left eye has begun wandering much more as well. I am VERY disheartened and have become very insecure with myself. I worry everyday that my biggest dream of having a loving husband and a family to provide for will never be met. I have always been told I was beautiful and played sports throughout high school (varsity soccer) but I worry that my standards are high and that I myself don’t even live up to my expectations. I guess I’m just looking for a little reassurance that there are people who can look past this condition out there. Maybe someone will be able to just let me know that they made it even though they too have this condition. It would really strengthen my spirit through this tough time.
Thanks,
Virginia 21 yrs old.
By Elysia on Jan 27, 2008 | Reply
Hi Becky.
I am in the same boat as your husband. 20/50 in my bad eye…20/30 in the good eye. I am my teaching internship and will receive my degree in May. Recently my lazy eye has gotten horrible. I’m finding it difficult to focus at all after a few hours teaching. My eyes are so tired and my eye muscles actually hurt at the end of the day. I call on my students and they turn around as if I am not looking directly at them, and they say, are you talking to me??? It is so frustrating. I’ve been thinking about buying a patch and wearing it when I am at home at night and on the weekends. Let me know if your husband has been doing this and if he has noticed any change. I did try the patch when I was younger, but no one enforced it. Thus, here I am. I am 29 years old. Thanks a lot.
Elysia
By naman on Feb 9, 2008 | Reply
hi i live in india iam suffering fromcoats disease since birth in my left eye so due to this dreadfuldisease i have squint problem in that eye now iam 20 years old please please anyone knowing about the squint treatment please send an email
with regards
naman
By Lynn on Feb 17, 2008 | Reply
Hello,
I want to reply to Stacey’s post: Yes, I too have experienced this “blacking out” of my weak eye when I cover my dominate eye in the effort to strengthen/use the amblyopic eye. It is as if some one is slowly turning down a dimmer switch on a light. While it doesn’t fade to black, it gets spotty and shadowy. So disconcerting.
Did anyone read a very interesting article in the New Yorker last year, by the famed neurologist Oliver Sacks? He describes at length the experience of not having stereo vision. I knew I I only used one eye, suppressing the vision of the weak eye, and that my depth perception is not great, but I didn’t know that I saw everything as rather flat, Fascinating, but ultimately a downer.
I fear my vision simply getting worse and the imbalance more trying. I have trouble being in visually “busy” spaces. Does anyone else relate to this?
By Pat Morgan on Feb 18, 2008 | Reply
Why was surgery not an option for you?
By ted on Feb 24, 2008 | Reply
hi
my name is ted I am 41 with amblyopia in my left eye from birth .I want to thank you all for your postings I would love to be part of any studys in helping to find a cure for this ugly condition of mine
thanks again ted
By Mary on Mar 3, 2008 | Reply
I to have amblyopia and have all my life. I am 44 years old now and it is at its worst at this point. I can no longer see my dinner plate without my bad eye crossing in. and to carry on a conversation with someone who is within a few feet of my space is hard. focusing is tough without the eye turning in. I am going to talk again with my doctor but as far as I know surgery for this they will not touch in the u.s. They said to check into canada. I was wearing one contact in my good eye so my bad eye could see up close. The problem was it took away my ability to see well long distances. Anyway, I am going to try it again, to see if I can tolerate it. It is getting to the point where I need to find other options. However, I have not exhausted all I have with contacts and glasses. So stay strong and we will figure this out.. By the way, from what I have read, it is more common in the left eye. But mine and my daughters are in the right. Let me know if that means anything.
Mary
By Christian on Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
Hello my name is Christian and I am 29 years old. I remember being about 6 years old and looking up to the sky, and I could not see an airplane up in the sky with my left eye. So as it turned out I had amblyopia. I did wear a patch on my right eye, but I did not wear it all the time like I should have. Now as an adult I really want to switch careers and I’ve been told that the vision in my left eye is 20/200. I need at least 20/100 to enter my dream career. I have been to Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, and they have told me that “there is no cure” for my left eye. I wear contact lenses on my right eye which is not bad, and a contact lense on my left (highest power on contact lenses). I’ve seen some post and links to “Vision Therapy”, has this been a success to some? Anybody here as an adult have any information regarding Vision Therapy? Life experiences? I will go this week to my eye doctor and ask about Vision Therapy.
I pray to God that I can at least “improve” some of the vision in my left eye.
Good luck to all.
By Jazzy on Mar 28, 2008 | Reply
I have amblyopia in my right eye… and it is the pits. I had no idea till I was in my late teens. My eyes don’t turn in, nothing. My left eye is 20/20 and my right, i don’t know i will call tomorrow to find out, but it isn’t great… So i wear glasses to compensate , but driving at night these days is becoming harder. I live in the NYC area and I am looking for any type of specialist, dr, etc.
I’m 29, I am afraid that eye will get worse. I want to do anything i can to improve. Going to start patching myself, any advice???
Great to see that we “lazy eyes” have a place to talk.
Ciao-Jazzy
By Paula Nguyen on Apr 1, 2008 | Reply
I am 42 Vietnamese female, and did not know the term Lazy eye until 8yrs ago, one Ophthometrist told me about it. She said there is nothing to help me with so, I just ignore this. Until now I barely could see big word with my right “lazy eye”. My left one is so perfect one since I was young up today. I wonder as if there is any technique to treat this amplyopia for my right eye. I wear eye glass 20yrs since, with one glass for near sighted and other is just bare one.
I will be happy to be in any study to treat this amplyopia. Hope it comes out soon.
Thanks
By rebecca on Apr 6, 2008 | Reply
I am 46 and have duan syndrome in both eyes, at age 18 had a surgery which did nothing just left me with scar on the corner. my vision has gone realy poor .I havent had a check up for about4-5 years, I was told there was not much i could do to improve my look and vision. does anyone know any place in the world that treats this conditon with gene therapy or stem cell please let me know. thanks.
By dinesh on Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Iam 25and have squint and amblyopia in my left eye since birth.Ihave been operated at the age of 1 year for the squint.but no imrovement in vision.my right eye vision is 6/6 and left eye vision is 6/18.The problem is that i cant see the things clearly.Doctors told me that nothing could be done to improve the vision.NOw these days swelling,itching and pain happens in both the eyes.will the above stated therapy will work? if anything would be done for the left eye plz inform me i will be very thankful to u.
dinesh
By Javier Terrazas on Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
i have a lazy right eye, and I wear glasses .. I am now 23years old , from
Mexico, right now i live in vancouver canada..
Is any one knows about the treatment or surgety.. for this please reply to my
mail
jano_tb@….
my right eye only moved when im sad, drunk, estress,tired, only. .
my questions is.. can i take i surgery or only treatment. and what is the
tratment?
is good patching if i have 23 years old?
javier
By Dev on May 3, 2008 | Reply
Hi,
This is a reply to Stacy and Lynn, and anyone else who is wondering about vision therapy.
I have not yet started therapy, but I have been doing a lot of online reasearch and visited one Vision Therapist, and plan on going to one or more before deciding what to do.
I also have the “blackout” area in my lazy right eye, and have rather severe amblyopia in that eye (20/400 no glasses, 20/200 with glasses). My eye crosses slightly, though not bad unless I have strained all day at the computer or watched a lot of TV. The therapist said my eye tracking was very good considering how bad my lazy eye was.
Now for some good news. This therapist treated a 52 year old woman with amblyopia, though not as bad as mine, and after a year of therapy she has complete stereo vision and is 20/20 in the the old lazy eye! Therapy consists of 1 hour office visits every week with home therapy via computer software. Through some research I discovered that she is authorized to use a home based software therapy (under doctor’s direction) called HTS - here is a link to doctors using this software:
http://www.homevisiontherapy.com/doctors_disclaimer_pg1.htm
Go back to their home page for more info on the program.
The other therapists I plan on visiting also use this software (or at least are listed at the above site as having used it). So there is hope, though this treatment can be rather expensive since you are visiting the therapist once a week. I am checking to see if my work insurance will cover it, though I think the chances are small. Basically, it will cost me around $500 per month plus the cost of the software.
I also noticed the comments from people who tried the Neurovision therapy, and that some experienced severe double vision as the lazy eye improved. The therapist I talked to said that “convergence” or tracking of the eyes was part of the overall therapy, so it sounds like Neurovision only concentrated on activating the lazy eye - not a very complete therapy program.
I am hopeful that I can start therapy in a month or two, provided I can afford it. I’ll post again with results if I go. Oh, and I am 57 years old, so if it works for me it will probabaly work on most people.
Good luck to all of us,
Dev
By Irina on May 13, 2008 | Reply
My son is 24 and he has a lazy eye condition, can’t see . I try to find a doctor here in Canada, preferably in ontario, we live in ottawa, so he can get a treatment.I anyone heard anything pls reply!
Irina