Patching, or occlusion therapy
One of the most common treatments for amblyopia is patching, also known as occluding, the better or stronger eye. This forces the brain to use the weaker eye. An adhesive eyepatch on the skin or a slip-on patch over glasses can be incorporated for occlusion therapy. A blurring contact lens or dilating eye drop can also be used to occlude the good eye.
Surgery
Cataract, eye muscle, or retinal surgery can be incorporated to help treat the underlying cause of amblyopia in some cases.
Vision therapy
Vision therapy has been proven to be successful in the treatment of amblyopia. Vision therapy, or VT, incorporates a series of vision training procedures that helps improve eye movement control, visual acuity, depth perception, and eye coordination. Vision therapy can be done in an office or home setting.
Signs and symptoms of Amblyopia
The most common way amblyopia is diagnosed is a detection of a decreased red reflex in the child’s eye. A diagnostic instrument used by the optometrist, ophthalmologist, or pediatrician, can pick up a bright reflection in the normal eye and a dim reflection in the amblyopic eye. Upon further examination, the eye is dilated to see if a refractive error of myopia, astigmatism, or hyperopia is the cause.
Another sign of amblyopia is an eye that turns in or out. A symptom that may be indicative for amblyopia is if the child prefers the vision out of one eye. This can sometimes be detected when occluding the better eye–the child may become fussy and upset because she cannot see out of the lazy eye.
Citations:
- Amblyopia informational patient brochure. APOS.org. January 2013