Personalized approach to eye occlusion therapy recommended in amblyopia

Eye occlusion therapy (EOT) is not a very effective treatment for amblyopia and has a lower success rate compared to treatment without EOT, according to a study presented at the 2023 AAPOS Annual Meeting. Although EOT does not provide any advantages in terms of visual outcomes or the amount of patching required, younger children with less severe amblyopia are more likely to respond successfully to EOT.

The study compared the effectiveness of early patching (EP) versus 18 weeks of glasses wear followed by patching (EOT) in 334 children with different types and severities of amblyopia. The primary outcome was success in improving visual acuity after 12 weeks of patching.

The EP group and EOT group had success rates of 66.7% and 53%, respectively, which was statistically significant. Similar results were observed at 18 and 24 weeks of patching. There was no significant difference in the duration of patching between groups. Younger children with less severe amblyopia had a higher chance of responding well to EOT only.

Reference
Gottlob I, et al. A Multicentre Centre Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Patching for Amblyopia with and without Extended Optical Treatment. Presented at: 2023 AAPOS Annual Meeting.