What is amblyopia? Amblyopia is a loss of best-corrected vision (difficulty seeing clearly) in one or both eyes due to abnormal visual experiences (monocular strabismus, refractive error, high refractive error, and form deprivation) during visual development, with no organic pathology on eye examination. How does amblyopia develop? There are various causes of amblyopia, the common causes are: 1. Refractive amblyopia: If the refractive difference between the two eyes is large, then the size and clarity of the object seen is not the same, and amblyopia may occur in the eye with the larger degree; the difference between the two eyes is 1.5DS for spherical lenses and 1.0DC for column lenses, which can cause amblyopia to form in one eye with a higher refractive error. 2, refractive error amblyopia: mostly occurs in patients with high refractive error who have never worn corrective glasses (mainly seen in high hyperopia or astigmatism, often bilateral), which increases the risk of amblyopia; it is generally believed that hyperopia ≥ 5.00DS, astigmatism ≥ 2.00DC, myopia ≥ 10DS will increase the risk of amblyopia. 3. Strabismic amblyopia: uncorrected monocular strabismus can cause abnormal binocular interaction due to eye position deviation, and amblyopia can easily occur in the strabismic eye. 4. Formal deprivation amblyopia: It occurs mostly in children with refractive interstitial clouding (e.g., congenital cataracts, corneal clouding, etc.), complete ptosis, etc. Due to insufficient light stimulation into the eye, the macula is deprived of the opportunity to form a clear image and amblyopia is formed. Deprivation amblyopia can be unilateral or bilateral, with unilateral being more severe than bilateral. What should I do if I have amblyopia? Once amblyopia is diagnosed, it should be treated immediately, otherwise it will become very difficult to treat amblyopia when the age exceeds the sensitive period of visual development. The outcome of amblyopia is related to the timing of treatment, the earlier it is detected, the earlier it is treated and the better the outcome. The basic strategy for treating amblyopia is precise prescription and masking of the dominant eye. The cause of amblyopia must first be identified before treatment. If refractive error, strabismus, congenital cataract and congenital complete ptosis are present, these conditions should be treated aggressively first. In the case of monocular amblyopia, masking of the healthy eye can be used to promote visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. Also, posterior image therapy and suppression therapy can be supplemented.