Q: I had an eye test last week. In the test it was confirmed that my vision in my left eye is poor. I could not see clearly with my right eye closed. The doctor has confirmed that my left eye has become lazy and I have not realised this fact till last week. My right eye is perfectly all right and doctor has said nothing can be done to stimulate my left eye. Where can I get more information about this problem as I could not understand the terms that the doctor has explained. I am able to see or read without any difficulty. Is there any solution you can provide. My doctor has said that there is no need to put glasses or a surgery.

A:The condition is called Amblyopia or lazy eye. First, the eye has to undergo a thorough examination to exclude any other problem. Treatment is to appropriately correct the refractive error (power) with glasses/contact lenses and then to do occlusion treatment in which the good (right) eye is completely covered, thereby shutting it off for a few days every week, forcing the weak left eye to work. Slowly, the poorer eye gains strength. This treatment requires a lot of patience, motivation and some hardship and is a lengthy process. Treatment gets much more difficult as you grow older & should ideally be done at a very young age.