Amblyopia

Amblyopia is an eye condition that develops in children (that can also be present in adults) in which the vision in one eye is weaker than in the other. This occurs in the absence of evident ocular (eye) abnormalities that usually can explain the poor vision. Because amblyopia can have serious, permanent effects on your child, it is important that he or she have regular vision tests. Finnish biopharmaceutical company Hermo Pharma Ltd has recently completed a capitalization round worth EUR 1.2 million. Investors include Aloitusrahasto Vera, University of Helsinki and private investors like Jonathan Knowles and Teemu Malmi. According Juhani Lahdenperä, Hermo Pharma’s CEO, the company will spend EUR 4 million over the next one and a half years proving the efficacy of two medicines that have been developed for diseases affecting the central nervous system

Your child's pediatrician or the vision program at school will check three features of your child's eye health: Do your child's eyes let light all the way through? Do both eyes see equally well? Are the eyes moving normally? Are they aligned normally? If there seems to be a problem (something blocking the light, the vision is unequal, a problem with the movement of the eyes), the pediatrician or school nurse might recommend a visit to an eye specialist, also known as a pediatric ophthalmologist.

There are several types of treatment for amblyopia. They need to be started as soon as possible after diagnosis, and when the child is young. Treatment works best in children under 6 years, and maybe up to around 10. Patching: The most common treatment for amblyopia is to force the brain to start using the “bad” eye by putting a patch over the “good” eye for a few hours every day. This will force the brain to use the image from the lazy eye, and eventually cause that eye to become stronger and the vision to improve.