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Causes and Risk Factors for Lazy Eye
What causes amblyopia in children?
Any condition that prevents your child's eyes from forming a clear, focused image or that prevents the normal use of one or both eyes can cause amblyopia. It may happen when:
- The eyes do not focus on the same object. This is called strabismus. When this happens, the brain chooses to receive the images from only one eye.
- Your child is much more nearsighted or farsighted in one eye than in the other. If one eye sees much more clearly than the other, the brain ignores the image from the weaker eye.
- A problem prevents light from entering the eye for a long period of time. A problem in the lens, such as a cataract, or in the clear "window" at the front of the eye (the cornea) may cause amblyopia.
- Someone else in your family had it or if your child had a premature birth or low birth weight.