Little Eyes, Galactic Dreams
Why the Eye Patch?
This summer, the new Disney/Pixar animated movie Elio takes us on an incredible intergalactic adventure. The main character, Elio Solis, wears an eye patch. Could Elio have amblyopia? Did he injure himself playing sports? Does he like to pretend he is a pirate? What do eye patches mean for children in real life? On this page, Prevent Blindness answers common questions asked by parents and caregivers.
What is Amblyopia?
Amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye,” is the most common cause of vision loss in children. It has many causes, but it generally occurs when there is an issue with one or both eyes causing the brain to prefer the image it receives from one eye over the other.
Ambylopia Eye Patching
To treat amblyopia, the better eye is often patched to force the weaker eye to become stronger. Help your child understand why their eye patch is important so treatment is successful.
Talk to your child about eye patches and make patching fun for them! Here are ideas for them to get to know their favorite character, Elio, and learn about eye health:
- Chat about it. Ask your child what they think about Elio wearing the eye patch. Talk about the importance of eye exams and wearing an eye patch when needed.
- Do it together. Pick a date in your family calendar together to do a “galactic” vision screening or eye exam together.
Amblyopia Videos
Strabismus
Strabismus (struh·biz·muhs) is an eye condition where the eyes are not straight or do not line up with each other. The misalignment is caused by eye muscles that do not work together. One eye, or sometimes both, may turn in, turn out, turn up or turn down. It may only appear when a child is tired or not feeling well. Uncorrected strabismus may develop amblyopia.
Refractive Errors
The most common vision disorders in children are refractive errors—myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
Preventing eye injuries in children
Children might wear eye patches for the treatment of eye injuries. But most eye injuries can be prevented by following age recommendations for toys, through safety practices, and the use of proper eye protection.
How can you protect your child’s vision?
Support the EDVI Act
Because we believe every kid deserves good eye care, Prevent Blindness is supporting the passage of a law currently being considered by Congress—The Early Detection of Vision Impairment for Children Act (or EDVI). When passed, the EDVI Act will support schools, early childhood professionals, health care providers, public health professionals, and families with updated and evidence-based vision screening methods, improve referrals to eye care, and advance follow-up protocols to ensure that children who need eye care treatment receive it before a vision problem leads to potential vision loss.