Is amblyopia hereditary?

Question

I know someone who was born with it. And although no one else in her family has it, she's still afraid that she could pass it down to her kids. Are there any doctors or nurses out there who know the answer?

Answer 1

dont think sooo...

Answer 2

Amblyopia itself is not hereditary, as it arises from problems of binocular development.  

Marked long-sight, marked anisometropia (refractive difference between the two eyes) and congenital cataracts all show some degree of inheritance, and all can lead to amblyopia.

But it's not a fixed thing at all.

And amblyopia is almost always treatable if caught early.  Testing, if there is a suspicion, needs to be done early on, well before the age of two.

I don't  think anyone can be born with amblyopia but I'm trying to think of an exception.  Born with a poorly functioning eye, yes, but that's not  exactly  the same thing.

Answer 3

I don't believe amblyopia in and of itself is hereditary but the eye conditions that can cause it certainly are. My sister was born with crossed eyes and developed amblyopia as a result. Years later, one of her children also got the crossed eyes but it was caught soon enough and he didn't develop amblyopia.

Answer 4

It can be heredity and it can be just an issue that she had in her developement. Heredity can come from other members of a fmaily that are distant, not just your immediate family, so she may or may not pass this on to her kids. The best bet is to have your kids seen between 6 months and one year through the infantsee program with the american optometric association. they do free eye checks on infants and help check out the things a pediatrician can miss. I think that they are at infantsee.org  but anyway if she does not have kids yet, it is hard to say. We all can inherit so many things it is amazing.