A comprehensive pediatric eye exam can uncover one of several different types of eye problems. Glasses – Your child may be nearsighted (myopia), farsighted (hyperopia) or have astigmatism. It is important that children who need glasses, wear them full time when they are young to develop good vision in each eye and three dimensional vision. Amblyopia or “lazy eye” occurs when the vision is reduced in one eye, causing it to be weaker than the other. This can occur because there is a difference in prescription between the 2 eyes and one eye becomes more dominant. Or, amblyopia can occur because of strabismus, or misaligned eyes. If an eye turns in or out, it does not see as clearly as the straight one and becomes weaker. Rarely, cataracts or severely droopy eye lids can cause amblyopia as well. The main treatment for amblyopia is patching, in which the stronger, more dominant eye is patched, to allow the weaker eye a chance to gain vision.