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The course of moderate amblyopia treated with patching in children: Experience of the amblyopia treatment study
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The course of moderate amblyopia treated with patching in children: Experience of the amblyopia treatment study

R W Hertle, R W Beck, E E Birch, D L Chandler, R H Duckman, J M Holmes, J D Kivlin, R T Kraker, R J Olson, M X Repka, …
American journal of ophthalmology, v 136(4), pp 620-629
01 Oct 2003
PMID: 14516801

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Ophthalmology Science & Technology
PURPOSE: To assess the course of the response to patching treatment of moderate amblyopia and to assess factors predictive of the response in children 3 years old to younger than 7 years old. DESIGN: Multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing patching and atropine (one of the amblyopia treatment studies). METHODS: A total of 209 children 3 years old to younger than 7 years of age with amblyopia in the range of 20/40 to 20/100 from the patching treatment arm of this trial were treated with patching of the sound eye from 6 hours per day up to all waking hours. Follow,up examinations were performed at 5 weeks, 16 weeks, and 6 months. The primary outcome measure was visual acuity in the amblyopic eye at 6 months. RESULTS: After 5 weeks of treatment, mean amblyopic ye acuity improved from baseline by 2.2 lines. For patients with baseline acuity of 20/80 or 20/100, a greater number of hours of prescribed patching was associated with greater improvement in the first 5 weeks (P = .05). However, this relationship was not present when baseline acuity was 20/40 to 20/60 (P = .57). At 6 months, visual acuity was improved from baseline by a mean of 3.1 lines, with the amount of improvement no longer related to the number of hours patching prescribed at baseline (P = .93). Among the 15 7 patients improving at least 3 lines from baseline, 15% achieved their maxi, mum improvement by 5 weeks and 52% by 16 weeks. None of the demographic or clinical factors assessed was predictive of the response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of moderate amblyopia, a beneficial effect of patching is present throughout the age range of 3 years old to younger than 7 years old and the acuity range of 20/40 to 20/100. At 6 months, the amount of improvement appears to be similar when 6 hours of daily patching are initially prescribed vs a greater number of hours. However, when the baseline acuity is 20/80 to 20/100, a greater number of hours of prescribed patching may improve acuity faster. (C) 2003 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Ophthalmology
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