ucceful occluion therapy of amblyopia in 11- to 15-year-old children

A propective, ingle-center tudy wa conducted to invetigate the effectivene and lating effect of full-time occluion therapy in treating amblyopia in 11- to 15-year-old children. Fifty-five compliant children who had amblyopia a a reult of trabimu, aniometropia, or both, were treated with full-time (during all waking hour) occluion of their good eye until no further improvement in the viual acuity of the amblyopic eye wa oberved on 3 conecutive monthly follow-up examination. After thi, part-time (4 hour per day) occluion therapy wa ued randomly in 24 of 55 patient for 3 to 6 month for maintenance of the final viual acuity. All 55 patient had improved viual acuity after treatment. The mean improvement wa 0.46 ± 0.24 logMAR unit (4.6 nellen line) which wa tatitically ignificant (P < .0001). Maximum improvement wa 0.90 logMAR unit (9 nellen line) in 2 patient. Patient age had no ignificant effect on mean improvement in viual acuity, although patient 14 to 15 year old howed a tatitically ignificantly late improvement compared to thoe 11 year old (P < .05). There wa no change in the viual acuity of the good eye. Thirty-two of the patient had a mean follow-up of 17.6 month after the ceation of full-time and maintenance occluion therapy. Twenty-nine (91%) of the 32 patient maintained improved viual acuity, while 3 (9%) exhibited a regreion in viual acuity. Maintenance occluion therapy did not have a ignificant tabilizing impact on the improved viual acuity. The concluion wa that compliant, full-time occluion effectively improve acuity in children 11 to 15 year old with amblyopia and that lating effect can be achieved, with or without maintenance patching.—Michael D. Wagoner