Nature sees to it that most babies come into the world in nearly perfect form. For 14 percent, however, the world is a little lopsided. They are among babies born with anisometropia. That means there is a large disparity between the two eyes in visual acuity. It also usually means the child will develop amblyopia, or lazy eye, in the first five years of life. One and one-half percent of the babies born each year come into the world with both anisometropia and amblyopia. The more severe the difference in vision between the eyes, the more likely it is that amblyopia, if not already present, will surface.

Some anisometropics are nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other, creating an entirely different set of challenges, but in most cases both eyes are either far or nearsighted, with the vision in one eye being quite good, and the other being quite poor. Depth perception, hand-eye coordination, and other vision problems can result from this inequality of vision.

With such a large refractive error, it is likely that vision will be impacted by accommodation, the process by which the brain receives visual communication from the stronger eye while ignoring the blurry images from the weaker eye. The longer the process continues, the weaker the eye with poor vision gets, until, in some cases, there is complete vision loss in that eye.

Treatment is usually centered on corrective lenses. The earlier the condition is diagnosed and treated, the easier it is to correct. Scheduling an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam with Dr. Tod Davis Developmental Optometry & Vision Therapy Services can help to determine the best treatment for your individual condition. Treating patients in the Eastern Virginia area for over 25 years, Dr. Davis is skilled at developing a program of vision therapy that will have you seeing the world at its best in no time.