Amblyopia Essays -- Medicine Medical Eye Papers

Amblyopia This paper provides a brief description of amblyopia and discusses current research regarding the motion pathway in individuals with amblyopia. Amblyopia is a condition in which visual acuity in one eye is greatly reduced. It is caused by lack of stimulation or disuse during visual discipline (Rose, 1998). Because the eye is non fully developed at birth (Jarvis, 1992, as cited in Rose, 1998), infants need stimulation to complete the visual neural pathway. When one or both eyes are inhibited, for example due to misalignment of one eye (strabismus) or a large difference in refractive power amidst two eyes (anisometropia), the neural pathway for the inhibited eye develops ab expressionly, or does not develop at all. At approximately six years of develop eye development is complete (Stager, 1990, as cited in Rose, 1998). Before visual development is complete amblyopia can be treated. If it is caught and treated at an early age, normal vision can be preserved (Rose, 1998).Th ere are several types of amblyopia. Researchers must be aware of the various types of amblyopia because the effects for each are not always consistent. Strabismic amblyopia is caused when the two eyes are out of alignment due to weak musculature. Anisometropic amblyopia is a result of a large difference in refractive power of an individuals eyes. Another form of amblyopia results when visual information does not reach the retina. This is called stimulus deprivation amblyopia. Meridional amblyopia is a result of the diffused images caused by astigmatism. Researchers often discover that there are differences between groups of amblyopes based on type. For example, Levi and his colleagues (1994) discovered differences in vernier acuity between anisomet... ...9-1944.Hess, R. F., & Anderson, S. J. (1993). Motion sensitivity and spacial undersampling in amblyopia. visual sensation Research, 33, 881-896.Hess, R. F., Demanins, R., & Bex, P. J. (1997). A reduced motion aftereffect in strabi smic amblyopia. Vision Research, 37, 1303-1311.Kubova, Z., Miroslav, K., Juran, J., & Blakemore, C. (1996). Is the motion system relatively spared in amblyopia? Evidence from cortical evoked responses. Vision Research, 36, 181-190.Levi, D. M., Klein, S. A., & Wang, H. (1994). Amblyopic and peripheral vernier acuity a test-pedestal approach. Vision Research, 34, 3265-3292.Levi, D. M., & Polat, U. (1996). Neural plasticity in adults with amblyopia Abstract. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, 93, 6830.Rose, S. E. (1998). Amblyopia the silent thief. The daybook of School Health, 68, 2, 76-79.