Doctors Diagnose Severe Lazy Eye in Toddler After Minor Eye Injury at Jerusalem Hospital

A three-year-old boy named Itai arrived at the pediatric emergency room at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem after sustaining a scratch and minor bleeding in his right eye caused by a plastic piece from a lawn mower in his backyard. Initially, doctors treated the injury as a minor corneal scratch with slight bleeding. However, during follow-up visits, they noticed that Itai’s vision in the injured right eye remained severely impaired, while his left eye had normal vision.

Further comprehensive eye examinations, including corneal mapping and retinal imaging, revealed that Itai had suffered from a severe case of amblyopia (lazy eye) in his right eye since birth, which had gone undiagnosed until the injury incident. Dr. Yaki Caspi, a pediatric ophthalmology specialist involved in Itai’s care, explained that the accidental injury to the weaker eye led to the timely diagnosis, which might have otherwise been missed, potentially resulting in permanent vision loss.

Itai was prescribed a treatment plan involving corrective glasses and an eye patch over the stronger left eye to stimulate vision development in the weaker right eye. Within a month, significant improvement was observed, with Itai able to recognize smaller numbers on vision charts, a marked change from before treatment.

The case highlights the difficulty in detecting vision problems in young children, especially when only one eye is affected, as the dominant eye compensates and children often cannot articulate vision issues. Dr. Achia Nemat, another pediatric ophthalmologist at Shaare Zedek, emphasized the importance of early vision screenings at ages one, three, and five, even without symptoms or family history, to prevent permanent damage.

Itai’s mother, Orel, recalled that her son never showed signs of vision problems and was active and normal in behavior. She described the moment he first wore glasses and said, "Mom, I can see," as unforgettable. The doctors urge parents not to wait for complaints from children but to proactively seek eye examinations to ensure early detection and treatment of vision disorders.