Will laser eye surgery help eliminate a "lazy eye" problem?

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Lazy eye, or amblyopia, refers to an eye with decreased vision because of poor development of the visual pathways during early childhood. Up to 1 percent of people in the United States are affected by amblyopia, which usually develops in only one eye.

The primary mechanism underlying amblyopia is the failure of images to reach the eye's retina in good focus. Without good image quality, the retina does not develop the appropriate pathways from the eye to the brain. If these pathways are not developed by age 7, then the pathways will never be present, resulting in permanent subnormal vision (amblyopia).

Amblyopia develops in childhood from poor vision caused by a variety of factors, including severe myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, corneal scar and strabismus (misalignment of the eye muscles). Strabismus, in which the eyes appear either crossed or deviated outward, usually requires surgical treatment in childhood.

Laser eye surgery can correct myopia, hyperopia and some types of astigmatism. However, the laser cannot build new pathways from the retina to the brain. Therefore, laser surgery usually cannot improve the vision of people with amblyopia.

As a note, people with poor vision in one eye, whether from amblyopia or other conditions, should be very careful when considering laser surgery to adjust vision in their "good" eye. A complication, although rare, can have devastating effects.