What is Anisometropia and How is it Treated?

Contact Lens King Inc
2018-10-04

Anisometropia is a condition first discovered by a Spanish scholar named Benito Daza de Valdes. According to Contact Lens King he described the disorder as "a disorder where the two eyes have different refractive powers." This disorder can cause each eye to experience nearsightedness, farsightedness or a combination of both. A person is considered to be Anisometropic if the refractive power of their eyes different by one diopter or more.

What Causes Anisometropia?

There are various parts of the eye that work together to provide vision such as the cornea, the natural crystalline lens of the eye and the retina. If any of these parts are impacted the consequence may be an alteration in one's ability to focus.

Anisometropia can be caused by a variety of factors including any of the following:

• Injury to the eye
• Eye trauma
• Genetic condition
• Surgery

Symptoms of Anisometropia

In many instances the clinician examining his/her patient may not easily observe any outward symptoms leading to the indication of this disorder. However, amblyopia or lazy eye can be a symptom or result of Anisometropia. Since one eye may experience poorer vision than the other the brain may choose the stronger other eye as the dominant eye. This natural preference by the brain can lead to a further degradation of the weaker eye due to it's lack of utilization. With lack of utilization comes even further weakening of the non-dominant eye and its eye muscles.

Treatments for Anisometropia

Numerous methods are available for the treatment of this disorder. The selection of one of these depends on each individual case. For instance, an eye doctor may suggest a different treatment option for someone with poor vision in one eye than someone who is suffering from Amblyopia. Here is a list of the various treatments that are available.

• Corrective lenses (eyeglasses or contact lenses) worn to improve vision in both eye(s)
• Covering the dominant eye with a patch (a similar treatment to that used to treat lazy eye)
• Eye drops used to blur the vision in the dominant eye therefore forcing the brain to use the weaker eye
• Using special filters in eye glasses in order to train the brain to use the weaker eye

Although the above treatments may not cure the disorder, the diligent execution of one's eye doctor's treatment regimen can drastically improve the patient's overall vision.

Sources:
Contact Lens King Blog | Daza de Valdes' First Book of Optometry
Contact Lens King Blog | Amblyopia

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