A prospective, pilot study of treatment of amblyopia in children 10 to <18 years old☆
Accepted 18 August 2003.
Abstract
Purpose
To determine whether amblyopia can be successfully treated in older children and adolescents.
Design
Prospective, single group treatment trial.
Methods
Sixty-six amblyopic patients aged 10 to <18 years with amblyopic eye acuity of 20/40 to 20/160 were treated with daily patching (≥2 hours a day) combined with at least 1 hour of near activities. Visual acuity was measured before and after 2 months of prescribed treatment.
Results
Visual acuity improved 2 or more lines from baseline in 18 (27%) of the 66 patients (95% confidence interval, 17%–40%), and the improvement appeared similar in 10- to <14-year-olds and 14- to <18-year-olds.
Conclusions
Amblyopia treatment can improve visual acuity in older children and adolescents. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine if there is an upper age limit for which amblyopia treatment is successful.
Inquiries to Raymond T. Krakes, MSPH, PEDIG Coordinating Center, Jaeb Center for Health Research, 15310 Amberly Drive, Suite 350, Tampa, FL 33647, USA.
☆ Supported by a cooperative agreement from the National Eye Institute grant EY11751.
InternetAdvance publication at ajo.com August 28, 2003
* A listing of the Writing Committee and the investigators who participated in the study appears at the end of the article.
ABSTRACT