Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Gen. 29:16, 17, NIV.

Like so much else, if the eye does not get exercised, it will become weak and not develop. What caused Leah to have weak eyes (also translated "delicate") Scripture does not explain. It certainly was obvious, and as a result she had to vie with her sister for Jacob's affection. Possibly Leah suffered from not having her eyes straight, properly called strabismus. Perhaps it might also explain why her father, a herdsman, had chosen his daughters' specific names: Rachel means "ewe" and Leah "cow." A cow's eyes are set widely apart, appearing divergent.

Unfortunately, strabismus is not merely a cosmetic problem, but may indicate something serious such as a brain or eye tumor. Tragically, even if nothing else is wrong, strabismus by itself often results in severe and permanent visual loss from amblyopia, or "lazy eye." Strabismus developing during adulthood causes severe double vision, but in a child the developing brain can suppress one eye. Over time this eye weakens and after a critical period remains irreversibly damaged.

Amblyopia was first noticed in donkeys bred and raised in dark coal mines. Although they had normal eyes, their brains never developed vision. Amblyopia can also develop from an uncorrected blurry image or significant opacity in the eye. Approximately one person in 50 has preventable amblyopia.

When the condition is recognized early, as simple a treatment as patching the good eye forces the lazy eye to exercise and thus develop normally. The relatively simple operation to straighten the eyes will make them look good and, more important, continue to see well! If the amblyopia is neglected, an injury to the good eye can result in total blindness.

Neglecting Leah's eyes may have caused much needless suffering, and its baleful influence marred the history of God's people. Neglected abilities and talents will also atrophy, resulting in permanent deficiencies and limitations. Blunders during the critical formative years will have long-term consequences that could have been completely avoided.

Is there anything in my life that if not corrected early could cause permanent physical, psychological, or spiritual damage?

Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.