My "lazy eye" has bothered me more and more since I started losing weight. From the front, my eye is hardly noticeable, but from the side, it looks like one eye is turned completely inward (it isn't, though).

Basically, because I was a preemie and slightly oxygen deprived at birth, the portion of my brain that controls my left eye is a little slow. It moves, but not in tandem with my right eye, and while my vision in both is 20/20, I have no peripheral vision in my left eye.

When I was little, the ophthalmologist my parents took me to insisted it was an issue with the eye itself, but every ophthalmologist I've seen since then says that was wrong and could have been corrected within 6 months when I was younger. The most recent one suggested that, since I still have the ability to control the eye, I should wear a patch to try to correct it at home. They didn't really offer a "plan" to correct it, just said to cover the good eye as often as possible and hopefully it will work.

I'm a little wary of trying this. When I patch my good eye, my range of vision is substantially diminished and I end up with a headache. If it works, it's definitely worth it, though, so has anyone had any success with this? Or know anyone who has?

I had a friend who had corrective surgery to fix an issue that sounds similar. He went through the Lions Club and it was fixed for free as he has no insurance.

I hope you are able to find some answers! I'm sorry I can't really be of help.

If you don't mind wearing glasses you can have prescription eyeglasses made with a prism to correct the lazy eye.

I wore a patch and corrected my lazy eye when I was in my 20s. It will definitely be difficult at the beginning, but forcing that eye to to the work will strengthen it.

My dad, my son, and I were all born with crossed eyes. Dad had his fixed when he was in his 20's and I had mine fixed when I was 5/6 years old (two surgeries). Because we waited so long to have ours fixed, Dad and I have trouble using both eyes together--things like binoculars are a challenge for us! My son got his fixed at 9 months old and he does significantly better at controlling his eyes together. I notice that when he wears contacts, one eye has trouble staying straight and is a little lazy. His glasses, however, have prisms in them and that keeps his eyes nice and straight. I tried prisms but was unable to adjust to them, but I would definitely give them a try.

I went through a period of eye patching as a kid and so did my son. For a year or so in high school, I even had to use drops in my good eye to keep it dilated in an effort to make the lazy eye work, but I don't know that it really accomplished much other than make people ask me why one of my eyes was always dilated.

Thanks everyone. I'll give the patch a try.

Surgery is an option for me, but won't correct the problem. The surgery suggested by the last few ophthalmologists have insisted that it would be entirely cosmetic and might even reduce the range of motion I have. It's, in a way, a good thing, since when my good eye is patched my lazy eye takes up the task within 15 to 20 minutes and my vision is excellent. After I take the patch off, though, it goes back to how it was within the day (usually sooner - within 2 to 3 hours). The only option I can think of is to always wear the patch at home.

My older sister used a patch, and unless you knew she had a lazy eye, you could never tell now. And hers was really bad, it was always off in the corner of her eye. She's very vain, so she just used it when she was at home. It took longer than it should have, but she didn't have to deal with people staring at her.

Mine was corrected with a patch.I don't remember how long I wore it for,but it worked.Now if only I could correct the remains of a birthmark.My right eye is puffy compared to my left and the eyelid looks lower

I forgot to mention that--my eyelid on my left eye (the lazier one) looks lower, too. Sometimes it's worse than others; if I'm tired it's way worse. That is the eye that is also most affected if I have a migraine.

LOL, might be fun to wear it in public. Oh, the stories you could tell

OMG I'm so glad you posted this. I've had people comment that I look like I'm "winking" sometimes. It's terrible. My left eye always looks a little more closed than my right eye. UGH.

My husband dealt with this since he was a kid - did the patch, eye exercises. When we got married he finally say an eye surgeon. The surgery was the best thing ever. Before his lazy eye would get worse when he was tired. He is really happy he did this.

I used a patch & corrective lenses for a few years when I was a kid. My vision in that eye never improved - actually it is to the point where unless I am VERY tired my brain kind of ignores most of the data from that eye and I dont even wear corrective lenses. But the patch got the tracking thing under control. But I was much younger and my tracking had never gotten bad.

The hard thing is for it to be effective I had to wear the patch during all my waking hours, not just a few hours a day, I wore the patch to school, everywhere.