UC Berkeley

Amblyopia is, aside from refractive error, the most common cause of visual loss in children. Thus amblyopia is a serious public health issue. When diagnosed and treated early, the visual losses may be easily reversed. With early detection and treatment, amblyopia could conceivably be eliminated. Treatment for amblyopia is generally only undertaken in children, however there is now considerable evidence that treatment of amblyopia may also be effective in adults. These findings, along with the results of new experimental studies and clinical trials, suggest that it might be time to reconsider our notions about neural plasticity in amblyopia.