RNIB NI's Looking Ahead, A Parent's Guide (PDF, 560kb)

Master RNIB Booklet_Layout 1 10/09/2012 15:10 Page 34
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Jargon Busting
This information may help you to put complex
visual jargon and measurements into more
manageable terms.
Accommodation is the process by which the
optical power to maintain a clear image on an
object as it draws near the eye. The eyes ability
to accommodate gradually reduces over time.
Amblyopia is the term used for a ‘lazy eye’.
It is an eye that has more reduced or poorer
vision than the other. Usually an amblyopic eye
is a healthy eye that cannot be corrected with
glasses (to achieve a ‘normal level’ of vision)
due to poor development. Quite often a child
with amblyopia or a lazy eye has or can
develop a ‘strabismus’ or squint.
Astigmatism usually means that the front
surface of the eye is shaped like a rugby ball.
It is very common in both persons with normal
vision and those with impaired vision.