What is Amblyopia?

Amblyopia, commonly known as "Lazy Eye," is a common vision development disorder in children. It occurs when the brain favors one eye, leading to poor vision development in the other. If untreated during the golden period, it can cause permanent vision impairment.

Three Main Causes

Amblyopia typically develops between birth and age 7. The primary causes include:

• Strabismic Amblyopia: Muscle imbalance prevents the eyes from focusing on the same object together. The brain suppresses the image from the deviating eye to avoid double vision.
• Refractive Amblyopia: The most common cause. Caused by significant nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, leading to blurred retinal images. If there is a large difference between eyes (anisometropia), the brain relies only on the clearer eye.
• Deprivation Amblyopia: The most severe form, caused by blockage of light entering the eye, such as congenital cataracts or droopy eyelids. Requires immediate surgery.

Common Symptoms & Signs

Amblyopia is hard to detect because children may not know what "clear" vision is, or the good eye compensates for the bad one. Parents should watch for:

• Squinting or tilting the head.
• Clumsiness or poor depth perception (bumping into things).
• Closing one eye in bright sunlight.
• Complaints of blurry vision when looking at the board or books.

Golden Treatment Period

The golden period for treating amblyopia is between ages 3 and 6. While treatment is still possible between ages 7 and 12, effectiveness decreases with age. Once the visual nervous system matures (usually around age 12), treatment becomes significantly more difficult.

Treatment Methods

Treatment usually involves two stages: correcting the cause and then strengthening the weaker eye.

1. Corrective Eyewear: Glasses or contact lenses to correct refractive errors, allowing the retina to receive clear images.
2. Patching Therapy: The most traditional and effective method. Covering the "good eye" for several hours a day forces the brain to use and strengthen the neural connections of the "lazy eye."
3. Atropine Drops: Temporarily blurring the good eye with drops to achieve a similar effect to patching (suitable for mild cases).

How Piggy Peekaboo Helps?

The biggest challenge many parents face is: Children refuse to wear the patch.

Piggy Peekaboo aims to solve this. We transform boring patching time into a fun gaming experience. Through high-contrast, attention-training mini-games, children stay focused and entertained while using their weaker eye, thereby improving adherence to patching therapy.