Prozac Cures Amblyopia?

[swestrup]

As most of my friends know, I have amblyopia, or what's called a 'lazy eye'. I see perfectly fine out of either eye, just not out of both together. This means that I don't have stereoscopic vision. As a consequence I can judge gross distances, but I can't easily make fine distance distinctions. For the vast majority of the time, I never notice this and it doesn't bother me at all. The other times, it makes me feel socially awkward to know I look kinda strange.

In any case, there is now some evidence that it can be cured by the anti-depressant Prozac. This is interesting because heretofore the only cures I ever heard of (if the childhood retraining doesn't work, as it didn't with me) have been surgical and I've never really liked the idea of letting someone with a knife get too close to my eyes (which is why I can really sympathize with what helenkacan is going though now).

Now if I could just find cures for the other dozen or so things wrong with this meat-bag I call a body, I'd be happy!

Comments

[americanstd.livejournal.com]

I have lazy everything. Any word on a cure for that?


I don't have stereoptic vision as well, however, since I haven't had it since birth, at this point, it doesn't make much sense to change it back. I have had one optometrist actually get me to see stereoptically with lenses, but that was the closest thing to pure insanity that I have ever experienced. My brain simply overloaded. Since my eyes/brain have only known monocular vision, it has compensated with the distance judgment.

However, it makes for wonderful shooting, as I don't need to close an eye or alter anything to "turn off" the other eye.

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

Your sympathies are appreciated. ::giggles:: I knew I was posting grotesque things for some reason!

However (and a big however, at that), I have to wonder how and if the entry of Prozac into a body that doesn't require it for ameliorating depression would create other unexpected side-effects. Obviously, you can't ask the rats.

The other thing, as pointed out above by Steve, is that having mostly monoscopic vision does not preclude having adequate distance equating capabilities, because I've never had a problem with that. Mind you, right how, with the left eye being all blurry, I'm still avoiding looking through both eyes as much as possible. But thanks for the fascinating link.

Semi-pirate Bob.