SHOULD PEOPLE WITH AMBLYOPIA HAVE MYOPIA SURGERY?

Amblyopia is one of the vision problems that many people suffer from, causing blurred vision even when the patient is wearing glasses. This raises the question for people with both amblyopia and myopia: "Should I have myopia surgery to improve this condition?". In this article, Japan International Eye Hospital will help patients better understand the effectiveness of using myopia surgery methods to improve amblyopia, and at the same time provide useful vision improvement solutions from ophthalmology experts.

What is amblyopia?

Amblyopia (lazy eye) is a condition of impaired vision that cannot be improved by treatment solutions such as wearing glasses, wearing contact lenses or surgery. People with vision below 7/10 after maximum correction of glasses are considered to have amblyopia. Amblyopia often appears and develops from a young age and affects vision until adulthood.

Some causes of amblyopia include strabismus, high refractive power, refractive error or other visual abnormalities (monocular cataract, corneal scar, ptosis, etc.).

Amblyopia is divided into 3 levels:

• Mild amblyopia: Vision from 20/40 to 20/30.
• Moderate amblyopia: Vision from 20/200 to 20/50.
• Severe amblyopia: Vision below 20/200.

Common myopia surgery methods today

Currently, myopia surgery methods have become more popular thanks to their safety and high efficiency, helping patients restore their distance vision and eliminate dependence on supporting glasses. There are two surgical mechanisms applied in myopia surgery methods: using a laser to change the curvature of the cornea (applied in ReLEx SMILE, Femtosecond Lasik, SBK Lasik surgery) or using an intraocular lens placed behind the iris and in front of the lens to restore sharp vision to the patient (applied in Phakic surgery).

Should people with amblyopia have myopia surgery?

Many amblyopic patients want to have myopia surgery with the desire to improve their distance vision. However, myopia surgery only treats myopia, not a solution to treat amblyopia, because the nature of amblyopia is a problem due to the brain's ability to receive images, not the eyes. According to Dr. Vu Anh Tuan - Professional Director at Japan International Eye Hospital, amblyopic patients should consider carefully before having myopia surgery. The reason is that the vision after myopia surgery will only reach a level equal to the patient's maximum corrected vision. For amblyopic patients, the maximum corrected vision is often below 7/10, so after surgery, the prognosis for vision will also only reach below 7/10. This may not be the ideal vision according to the patient's expectations. In cases of severe amblyopia, the maximum corrected vision is already very low, below 1/10, the doctor's advice is that the patient should not have myopia surgery. Is there any way to improve vision for people with amblyopia?

Amblyopia can be improved if the patient is detected early and treated actively from a young age, because at that time the connections between the eyes and the brain are not fully developed, so it can be improved through exercises. According to MSc. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Quynh Anh at Japan International Eye Hospital, amblyopia patients under 8 years old have the highest chance of recovering vision, amblyopia patients from 8 to 18 years old have a lower cure rate and decrease with age, amblyopia patients over 18 years old have almost no chance of successful treatment.

Depending on the cause and severity of amblyopia, the ophthalmologist will have the following corresponding treatment instructions:

• Wear glasses or contact lenses to correct refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism) if this is the cause of the disease.
• Wear the patch on the good eye for 2-6 hours a day to stimulate the weak eye to increase activity.
• Use a Bangerter filter on your glasses as a frosted coating to increase activity in the weaker eye.
• Use Isopto Atropine eye drops to temporarily blur vision in the good eye and encourage the weak eye to work harder. This is a drug that is often used daily or on weekends, and can cause some side effects (light sensitivity, eye irritation), so the patient needs to be examined and prescribed by an ophthalmologist before using it.
• Perform surgery for ptosis, strabismus or cataracts if this is the cause of the disease.

Myopia surgery can be an effective solution for many people with myopia, but it is not effective in treating amblyopia. If the patient or a relative If you are experiencing amblyopia and considering treatment options, visit your local hospital to consult an ophthalmologist.