Crosseye and lazyeye! there is a diffrence?!

Crosseye and lazyeye! there is a diffrence?

People think cross eye and lazyeye is that same thing!! no it is not!! lazyeye is when u have an eye or both eyes looking some where else and crosseye is when you have your eyes or eeye looking at ur nose what the **** is the big deal with this why do people treat them diffrent?? do u treat them diffrent becuz of this??? be honest....

OK. Let me see if I can bring order to all the varying information you have been given. The problem here is that the term "lazyeye" is not a physiologically nor anatomically based term. This leaves the word open for several different viewpoints. In the field of ophthalmic science we try to stay away from this term because it leads to much confusion as to what the person using it means. There are three ocular conditions I have found which one may be talking about when using the word lazyeye.

EXOTROPIA -- I have heard this referred to as walleye ( because the deviating eye turns outward toward the wall) This can occur full time, part time, or can alternate between which eye the patient chooses to allow to turn out at any given time. The observer can see a noticeable turn of the eye.

ESOTROPIA -- It is referred to by some as crosseye. As the term says it describes a condition where the patient has one eye that tends to turn inward toward the nose. This can occur full time, part time, or can alternate between which eye the patient chooses to allow to turn in at any given time. The observer can see a noticeable turn of the eye.

AMBLYOPIA -- This term relates to the actual comparative visual acuity a patient has between the two eyes. Usually, but not always, when a patient has an esotropia or an exotropia the brain actively suppresses the input from the deviating eye. If this suppression lasts long enough then the brain will begin to lose the ability to perceive clear vision in the affected eye even if the light image on the retina is clear. It's the old use it or lose it scenario. Since it is impossible for the brain to listen to two eyes simultaneously if they do not point in the same direction, the brain will just simply choose to turn the deviating eye off. Sometimes, though, if a patient is able to alternate back and forth between which eye deviates then the brain can receive enough alternating stimulation as to not become amblyopic. It is also not necessary to have a deviating eye in order to develop amblyopia. If a patient has a very large difference in the comparative prescriptions in each eye (for instance one eye is extremely farsighted and the other eye is not) the brain may choose to suppress the information from the eye that is creating more visual problems. And some patients can have amblyopia with no apparent problem with either an eye turn or prescription problem. Amblyopia is the brains way of coping with certain vision problems. So with this definition of "lazyeye" it is possible to have lazyeye with no eye turn whatsoever. I have seen many patients with amlyopia whose eyes do not wander at all. Amblyopia is defined as ones eye's maximum visual acuity being two lines or more worse than the better eye.

So in summation. The terms esotropia (cross eye) and exotropia (wall eye) should be used to describe the direction in which an eye points when it deviates. The term amblyopia is a term describing the response the brain makes to a deviation or extreme conflict in the prescriptions between an eye. The truth of the matter is the term lazyeye really shouldn't be used at all because as you see from all these answers it just is simply not specific enough to prevent confusion. I know this was alot to digest but I hope I have helped more than I have confused you. If you have any further questions just e-mail me. Have a good night.