Can amblyopia be treated with surgery?
Disease description:
My child is 7 years old and has been diagnosed with amblyopia (lazy eye). The corrective effect of wearing glasses has been moderate at best. It's really worrying! For children with similar conditions, can surgery cure amblyopia?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Wang Shuai
In general, amblyopia can be treated with surgery, but the surgery itself does not directly improve vision.
Amblyopia is an eye condition caused by various factors, some of which can indeed be resolved through surgery. For example, in children with form-deprivation amblyopia caused by conditions such as congenital cataracts, complete ptosis (drooping) of the upper eyelid, or corneal opacity that interfere with the visual pathway, surgical removal of the underlying cause is often the primary treatment. These surgeries are usually aimed at restoring clear visual pathways and providing the necessary conditions for visual development in the amblyopic eye.
However, surgery alone does not directly improve vision; rather, it creates better conditions for subsequent amblyopia treatments. Treating amblyopia is a comprehensive process that, in addition to surgical removal of causative factors, requires a combination of refractive correction, occlusion therapy, and suppression therapy, among other approaches. Generally, the optimal age for treating amblyopia is between 4 and 6 years to achieve better therapeutic outcomes.
It is recommended to undergo regular vision examinations. If diagnosed with amblyopia, one should follow the recommendations of an ophthalmologist and proceed with an appropriate treatment plan.
