Amblyopia (lazy eye)

[buffy]

"Normal development of the visual cortex depends critically on early life visual experience. In humans, a disparity in the quality of vision between two eyes during infancy or early childhood leads to a visual impairment called amblyopia. In animal models, amblyopia can be induced early in life using a brief period of monocular deprivation via eyelid closure. Here we show in two evolutionarily divergent species that experimental amblyopia can be rapidly corrected if binocular visual experience is restored after temporarily silencing the retinas with a local anesthetic. These findings point the way to an approach for clinical management of amblyopia with advantages over the current standard of care."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5150384/

If this is correct it's very, very exciting.

[nut]

Interesting Buffy. I wonder if intervention is needed before a certain 'cut off' time.

[roughbarked]

Interesting Buffy. I wonder if intervention is needed before a certain 'cut off' time.

Think it is still too early for such specifics. Buffy will answer on all that.

[buffy]

Traditionally the answer has been get the amblyopia sorted before about 4 or 5 years of age. But anecdotally and in some recent research, you can get improvement even in adults at times. So I don't think I'd rule anything out if it is indeed possible to "reboot". It's going to be years before we know though. Might not even be in my lifetime this is such early stuff.

But terribly exciting if correct.

[nut]

My partner had a lazy eye that was corrected when she was sixteen. Used to stick way out, very poor vision on that side now. She is now mid forties.