How Can An Optometrist Help With Anisometropia?

4 March 2021
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You or your child could have anisometropia and not know about it until it becomes severe. This condition could lead to more complicated conditions like amblyopia or strabismus if not caught early. An optometrist can diagnose and correct this issue before it becomes a big problem. Here is more information about anisometropia, how it is diagnosed, and how your optometrist can help.

What Is Anisometropia?

Anisometropia is an eye condition where one eye has a significantly different refractive power than the others. While many people have eyes that vary in power, anisometropia is when the difference is at least two diopters from the other eye. In some rare cases, it is possible to have one eye be nearsighted, and the other farsighted. On the outside, you would not notice any physical differences between the two eyes unless the condition has progressed.

What Complications Does Anisometropia Cause?

The main concern about anisometropia is it can lead to physical eye issues like lazy eye, strabismus, or even double vision if not corrected early. Often, children and adults with this condition have a dominant eye that assumes all visual duties. Over time, the brain may stop taking in signals from the weaker eye completely.

People with anisometropia often have poor depth perception and hand-to-eye coordination. This may make them seem clumsy and awkward. Other people experience frequent nausea and dizziness. Eyestrain and light sensitivities are also common.

How Is Anisometropia Diagnosed?

Chances are, you won't even notice you have this condition until you have an eye exam. This is especially true if your dominant eye has normal or near-normal vision. An optometrist can check for anisometropia by taking routine measurements of your vision. Amblyopia and strabismus can also be checked with simple traditional eye movement tests.

How Can an Optometrist Help With Anisometropia?

This condition is easily corrected in its mild to moderate forms and its progression can be slowed or stopped. Some therapies may improve the condition in some children, especially if it is not severe and caught early. Your optometrist can prescribe glasses or contacts with features to help your eyes to work together. Severe anisometropia may require laser surgery or contact lenses instead of glasses.

Anisometropia is a problem you shouldn't ignore. The longer you go without treatment, the more problems it causes. An optometrist can diagnose and correct this condition in most cases without painful therapies or surgery. To ensure you catch vision problems early, make sure you have regular eye exams even if you feel your eyes are fine.

Reach out to a local optometrist to learn more.