What does amblyopia mean?
Amblyopia is a medical term for a condition in which the brain does not process visual input normally, leading to reduced visual acuity or impaired visual function, usually in one eye. The eye itself may appear healthy and have no readily identifiable disease. The condition commonly begins in childhood and can develop when the two eyes receive unequal visual input, as may occur with strabismus, different refractive errors, or obstruction of vision in one eye. Early diagnosis is important because treatment during childhood can help the weaker eye develop better visual acuity. Amblyopia is often called the “lazy eye” in everyday speech, although that expression can misleadingly suggest that the eye is physically defective or insufficiently used. In medical contexts, the term precisely identifies a problem in the development or processing of vision rather than a refractive error such as myopia.
nounA condition in which vision is reduced in one or both eyes because of abnormal visual processing, without an obvious disease of the eye itself. It commonly develops during childhood and may result from unequal refractive error, strabismus, or deprivation of visual input.
- A disorder of visual development in which reduced visual acuity or impaired visual function results from abnormal processing in the brain rather than an obvious disease of the eye itself.
"Early treatment of amblyopia in children can improve visual acuity in the affected eye."
"The ophthalmologist diagnosed amblyopia and recommended patching the stronger eye to encourage the weaker eye to develop."
"Universal screening can identify amblyopia early, when treatment is most effective."
The plural is grammatically possible, although clinical writing more often uses “cases of amblyopia.”
"The registry recorded several amblyopias among children screened during the year."
Often called the “lazy eye,” amblyopia can involve an eye that appears perfectly healthy—the real trouble lies in how the brain processes what it sees.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does amblyopia come from?
The word comes through New Latin from Greek amblyopia, a compound of amblys, meaning “dull” or “blunt,” and ops, meaning “eye.” It therefore refers literally to dull or dim vision. The Greek eye-root is shared by related medical terms including myopia, diplopia, presbyopia, and cyclopia.
Related word forms
How amblyopia is actually used
This is a formal medical term. “Lazy eye” is a common informal expression, but it may imply laziness or a structural eye defect and is therefore less suitable in precise clinical writing.
Easily confused with amblyopia
Myopia is a refractive error that makes distant objects appear blurred, whereas amblyopia is impaired visual development caused by abnormal processing of visual information, often in one eye despite a relatively healthy-looking eye.