pediatrics
Amblyopia
Treatment of Amblyopia
Eyeglasses or contact lenses Cataract removal Patching (occlusion therapy) Atropinedrops Treatment of strabismus if present Treatment of amblyopia should be directed by an ophthalmologist experienced in managing eye disorders in children. After correcting refraction (glasses or contact lenses) or clearing the visual axis (removal of a cataract), the mainstay of amblyopia treatment is occluding the better eye to force the brain to use the affected eye. In cases of refractive amblyopia, full-time wearing of glasses or contact lenses with close monitoring may be sufficient treatment, especially in cases of bilateral amblyopia. Once improvement of visual acuity has plateaued with glasses wearing, occlusion therapy is begun ( Treatment reference ). In the case of amblyopia caused by strabismus, occlusion therapy is done first, followed by Maintenance treatment for prevention of recurrences may be recommended for 1 to 2 years after improvement has stabilized. 1.Writing Committee for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, Cotter SA, Foster NC, et al: Optical treatment of strabismic and combined strabismic-anisometropic amblyopia.Ophthalmology119(1):150–158, 2012. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2011.06.043 