What types of amblyopia exist?
Any condition that affects normal use of the eyes and visual development can cause amblyopia. There are three major causes of amblyopia, and the condition is sometimes hereditary: • Strabismus is the most common cause of amblyopia and often occurs in eyes that are not aligned properly or are crossed. The crossed eye turns off to avoid double vision, and the other eye takes over most of the visual function. Because the brain favors one eye over the other, the nonpreferred eye is not adequately stimulated, and the brain cells responsible for vision in that eye do not mature normally. • Anisometropia refers to a condition where the eyes have unequal refractive power. For instance, one eye may be nearsighted and the other farsighted. Amblyopia occurs when the brain cannot balance this difference and chooses the easier eye to use. The eyes appear normal but, because the brain is using only one eye most of the time, the other has poor vision. This type of amblyopia is hard to detect and requ
