Amblyopia is commonly known as'lazy eye. It is a vision development disorder, which affects eyes and the brain during infancy and childhood. It signifies that the eye does not achieve a normal visual acuity even with refractive correction in form of glasses or contact lens. During normal visual development, the eye and brain learns to'see' and develop binocularity, that is the ability to perceive depth (stereoacuity). This occurs in the first 8 to 10 years of life. 

Each eye transmits a clear and identical image from retina to the brain, which fuses the two images into a single image with 3 dimensions (adding depth). When the image is formed on the retina of two eyes is too dissimilar, the brain cannot fuse the two images and suppresses the more blurred image. As a result, the worse eye does not learn to'see' and becomes'lazy. This condition is seen in 1-4% of population.

The common causes for dissimilar images or amblyopia are:
1. Misalignment of the eyes or squint: it is the primary reason for amblyopia is misalignment of the eyes. In case, both your eyes are not aimed in the same direction, the image captured by each eye is different, resulting in diplopia. The brain will see from the dominant eye and suppress image from the other eye. Over a prolonged period of time, the eye dissociates from the visual cortex of the brain.

2. Refractive amblyopia:
A. Unequal refractive error in both eye. When the eye power of both eyes differ by more than 1.5d of spherical equivalent, which results in dissimilar images between the two eyes. As a result, the visual development in restricted in the worse eye.
B. High refractive error or astigmatism in both eyes, since there is a blurred image in both eyes, the normal vision development does not occur in either eyes resulting in bilateral lazy eyes.

3. Cloudiness in visual system or visual deprivation amblyopia: any kind of obstruction or cloudiness in the normal visual axis of the eye tissues can lead to amblyopia. Disorder of any kind, which blocks a clear image from being focused blocks the formation of a clear image on your retina. Commonly due to congenital or developmental cataracts or corneal opacities or prolonged closure of one eye in early childhood (drooping of one eyelid, eyelid swelling, patching of one eye).

Treatment for amblyopia
For treatment of amblyopia, a child must be compelled to utilize his affected, weaker eye. This can be done by correction of causative factor such as, treating refractive error with glasses, surgical correction of misalignment of eyes followed by patching and vision therapy, cataract surgery.

Patching or occlusion of the good eye
This is done to force the brain to pay attention to visual input from the worse eye. This allows nerve connections between affected eye and brain to develop due to, which the eye'learns to see. Eye drops such as atropine are also used for blurring the vision of the good eye. Some form of vision therapy may also be required to train both eyes to see together and develop some degree of depth perception.

To be effective, treatment should be implement as early as possible, within the period of normal visual development best within first 8 years of life. Some visual gain has been seen in selected patients up to age of 14 to 18 years. This also highlights the importance of a comprehensive eye examination as a routine in young children.

About Amblyopia or Lazy Eye

10 surprising facts about your eyes

You never tend to pay a lot of attention to your eyes unless they are affected by some serious disorder or unless your vision is disrupted. But did you know that your eyes are capable of doing much more than you can imagine? here are 10 surprising facts about your eyes you didn't know about.

1. How intricate!

Your eyes take more than 2 million working parts to function. No wonder your eyes are the second most complex organ of your body after your brain.

2. A lot depends on them

As much as 80% of your memories are determined by what you see. Also, 80% of what you learn is because of your eyes.

3. Retina and security

The iris of your eyes has approximately 256 unique characteristics, which is more than even your fingerprints. This is the reason why retina scans are used so widely today for security purposes.

4. It's a colourful world

Your eyes can distinguish between approximately 10 million different colours. And women with a particular kind of genetic mutation can see millions of more colours.

5. Upside-down

The retina of your eyes receives the vision of the outside world as upside down. It is your brain, which flips the image for you so that you can see the world as it is.

6. Sunscreen for the eyes?

It is possible for your eyes to get sunburnt. Therefore, it is advisable for you to wear sunglasses in order to protect your eyes from the ultraviolet radiations.

7. Godspeed!

The eye muscle is the muscle that reacts at the fastest rate out of all the other muscles in your body. It can contract in less than even 1/100th of a second.

8. Paint it red?

The retina of your eyes cannot detect the red colour. The retinas do have green, red and blue receptors, but the red receptor can detect only the colour yellow-green and the green one can recognise blue-green. It is your brain that combines these signals to give you the impression of the colour red.

9. Dreams and sight

Even if you become blind later in life, you can see images in your dreams if you were born with sight.

10. We are blink-eyed peas

You blink approximately 17 times every minute. That makes it 5.2 million times in a year.

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Related Tip: Sitting Too Close To TV Will Weaken Your Eyes? FALSE.

Surprise Yourself with these 10 Facts about Your EYES!

4 tips for a great eyesight

An important organ of the body, eyes must never be taken for granted and need to be protected at all times. In addition to protecting them, you also need to improve as well as maintain their overall health.

Here are some of the ways of keeping your vision in top form:

1. Eat for good eye vision

To have healthy eyes and consequently good vision, you need to have foods that keep them in good health. Nutrients like Zinc, vitamins C and E, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids can help to fend off age-related sight problems such as cataracts or macular degeneration (a condition characterized by the deterioration of the middle portion of the retina). Foods like eggs, nuts, green leafy vegetables, oranges and citrus fruits are what you need to have to get good eye health. 

2. Kick the Smoke habit

Smoking can adversely affect your eye health and can make you prone to eye conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration and damage of optic nerve (a nerve that transmits impulses from the eyes to the brain). By kicking this habit, you end up saving your eyes from irreversible damage.

3. Use sunglasses

Exposure to the Sun's ultraviolet rays for a long period of time can make you prone to common eye problems including cataracts. To protect them from the Sun's harmful rays, you need to use sunglasses that block 99-100% of Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.

4. Go for a regular eye checkup

Going for regular eye examinations can help in protecting your vision and ensure you see clearly. Eye examinations are important to help you find eye problems like glaucoma (a condition wherein the optic nerve is damaged, resulting in vision loss). A comprehensive eye examination can help in identifying problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism (an eye defect that occurs to a deviated spherical curvature).




4 Tips for a Great Eyesight

Did you know that your vision is responsible for around 80% of you sensory input? your eyes are among the most delicate organs in your body. Long work hours in front of the computer and long study hours results in tired and sometimes irritating eye conditions. But help isn't too far. Before you head to the doctor, you can head to your kitchen to look for solutions. There are several home remedies that you can try to not only improve your eyesight but also get rid of glasses and rebuild your vision! here's how you can do it:

1. Exercise: Just like any other body part, your eyes need exercise too. Blinking your eyes rapidly for 5 seconds helps moisturize it. Similarly, cupping your eyes with you palms for 4-5 minutes triggers acupuncture points that helps the eye to relax. There are specific exercises to reduce eye strain, improve blurred vision and enhance reading. Do these as per the specific problem you are facing.

2. Take a break: Follow the 10-10-10 rule when you are on the computer for extended hours. For every half hour of work, take a 10 min break to look at something n a distance at least 10 feet away for 10 seconds. These becomes tricky if you are studying or working in a fast paced environment and easily forget to take breaks. Set alarms that help you know the time so that you can actively plan your breaks. To enhance break time, try to look at greenery during your 10 sec break which helps the eyes relax better. Splash your eyes with cold water to give them a fresh feel.

3. Yoga: Yoga and meditation relaxes your body and mind. It is also a great way to relax your eyes as you get to close them and give them rest. When you close your eyes, you shut out a big chunk of sensory inputs helping your body go from an active reaction mode to a passive action mode.

4. Eat for your eyes: Make sure you add your weekly quota of vision enhancing food in you diet. Carrots which are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin a are great for the eyes. Similarly grapes and blueberries work great to improve your night vision. Green leafy veggies, garlic, shallots, eggs and onion all contribute in keeping your eyes healthy and strong. Cold water fish rich in DHA is an another great food that helps reduce dry eyes and muscular degeneration.

5. Change your lifestyle: Other than exercise and proper nutrients, you need to ensure you get a shut eye for six to eight hours every day to let your eyes fully rest and rejuvenate. As always drink 6 - 8 glasses of water. And don't forget to get regular eye check ups especially if you are a diabetic or have other health conditions that adversely affect your eyes.

Natural Remedies For Better Eyesight

Eyeglasses and contact lenses are both used for vision correction. Both of the options have their advantages and disadvantages but a number of factors like lifestyle, comfort and age etc. are important while deciding which one to choose. Here is a list of the fundamental differences between using spectacles and using contact lenses:

1. Distance from the cornea
Lenses are worn directly on the eye and are in constant physical contact with the cornea while glasses are worn over the eyes. Contact lenses may cause infections in the eye because the user has to touch the eye in order to wear them and to take them off.

2. Difference in vision
Since the lenses of spectacles are a little distance away from the eye, vision can be slightly distorted but contact lenses can provide natural and accurate vision. Also, side vision is not improved by glasses as you have to turn your head to see what is beside you. The contacts move around with your eyeballs and the peripheral vision is in focus.

3. Ease of use
Some people find eyeglasses difficult to use because of the constant weight on the face and the obstruction caused by the frames of the glasses. There may also be a constant need to adjust the frames. Often eyeglasses slip down the nose when you sweat or engage in rigorous physical activity. Contact lenses are free from all these hassles - they are not distracting or obstructive and so they are extensively used by dancers and athletes. Spectacles is very uncomfortable to wear during the rains or in humid weather because they fog up.

4. Infections and complications
Contact lenses can get displaced inside the eye and they can be difficult to reposition. They also cause the eyes to itch and water if you wear them for a very long time at a stretch or if tiny dust particles enter your eyes. The use of eyeglasses is far more flexible in this respect - they can be removed in case your eye itches or burns, but regular use of glasses causes dark circles and bags under the eyes.

5. Aesthetic differences
People often prefer contact lenses as they do not change the physical appearance - they help you look natural and you can also use colored lenses to change the color of your eyes. Glasses may look slightly unnatural but some people also prefer them for the fashion quotient.

Lens Vs Specs

What crying does to your body

Do you know that every little activity that you perform on a daily basis impacts your body? what you eat, how long you sleep and even every tear you shed affects your body. Most people are aware of how their body reacts to major activities, like exercising, but few are aware of how the body reacts when they cry.

While you are generally concerned with the mental cause and effect of crying, have you thought about what crying does to you physically? tears are not always shed when a person is upset. Tears are a body's way of expressing itself as well as protecting itself. Everything from a happy ending in a movie to a dust particle in the eye can make you tear up.

There are essentially three kinds of tears. Basal tears and reflective tears help keep the eyes lubricated and irritant free respectively. It is the psych tears, which we commonly refer to as crying, that come as emotional responses.

Crying might be a sign of emotional stress and pain but if you are wondering how it harms your body, the answer is that it does not. Crying does not harm one's body physically. In fact it does better than harm to your body, purely physically speaking. Here's how-

- when you cry, your tears help your eyes remain clear.

- it also has anti-bacterial properties that keep your eyes clean.

- your eyes remain properly hydrated thus reducing any kind of irritation. You might feel dehydrated after a while due to the loss of water and salt.

- even the excess manganese in your body gets washed out through tears.

But for some, the act of crying can cause medical complications. It can lead to fits or can cause an acute shortness of breath. For those with severe heart conditions, there can be a cardiac pain. Crying can take a toll on your body if you have certain medical conditions. For most people crying does more good for their body than harm.

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Related Tip: Why India Has POOREST Eyesight? + 4 Tips for Improving Your Eyesight

What Does Crying Do to Your Body | Good & Bad Effects

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