Atropine vs patching for treatment of moderate amblyopia: follow-up at 15 years of age of a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Initial treatment for amblyopia of the fellow eye with patching and atropine sulfate eyedrops improves visual acuity. Long-term data on the durability of treatment benefit are needed. OBJECTIVE: To report visual acuity at 15 years of age among patients who were younger than 7 years when enrolled in a treatment trial for moderate amblyopia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In a multicenter clinical trial, 419 children with amblyopia (visual acuity, 20/40 to 20/100) were randomly assigned to patching (minimum of 6 h/d) or atropine sulfate eyedrops, 1% (1 drop daily), for 6 months. Treatment after 6 months was at the discretion of the investigator. Two years after enrollment, an unselected subgroup of 188 children were enrolled into long-term follow-up. INTERVENTION: Initial treatment with patching or atropine with subsequent treatment at investigator discretion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Visual acuity at 15 years of age with the electronic Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study test in amblyopic and fellow eyes. RESULTS: Mean visual acuity in the amblyopic eye measured in 147 participants at 15 years of age was 0.14 logMAR (approximately 20/25); 59.9% of amblyopic eyes had visual acuity of 20/25 or better and 33.3%, 20/20 or better. Mean interocular acuity difference (IOD) at 15 years of age was 0.21 logMAR (2.1 lines); 48.3% had an IOD of 2 or more lines and 71.4%, 1 or more lines. Treatment (other than spectacles) was prescribed for 9 participants (6.1%) aged 10 to 15 years. Mean IOD was similar at examinations at 10 and 15 years of age (2.0 and 2.1 logMAR lines, respectively; P = .39). Better visual acuity at the 15-year examination was achieved in those who were younger than 5 years at the time of entry into the randomized clinical trial (mean logMAR, 0.09) compared with those aged 5 to 6 years (mean logMAR, 0.18; P < .001). When we compared subgroups based on original treatment with atropine or patching, no significant differences were observed in visual acuity of amblyopic and fellow eyes at 15 years of age (P = .44 and P = .43, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: At 15 years of age, most children treated for moderate amblyopia when younger than 7 years have good visual acuity, although mild residual amblyopia is common. The outcome is similar regardless of initial treatment with atropine or patching. The results indicate that improvement occurring with amblyopia treatment is maintained until at least 15 years of age. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000170.

Treatment of strabismic amblyopia with refractive correction.

PURPOSE: To report data on the response of previously untreated strabismic amblyopia to spectacle correction. DESIGN: Prospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Twelve patients with previously untreated strabismic amblyopia were prescribed spectacles and examined at five-week intervals until visual acuity was not improved from the prior visit. RESULTS: Amblyopic eye acuity improved by 2 lines or more from spectacle-corrected baseline acuity in nine of the 12 patients (75%), resolving in three (interocular difference

Treatment of anisometropic amblyopia in children with refractive correction.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of refractive correction alone for the treatment of untreated anisometropic amblyopia in children 3 to <7 years old. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter, noncomparative intervention. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four children 3 to <7 years old with untreated anisometropic amblyopia ranging from 20/40 to 20/250. METHODS: Optimal refractive correction was provided, and visual acuity (VA) was measured with the new spectacle correction at baseline and at 5-week intervals until VA stabilized or amblyopia resolved. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximum improvement in best-corrected VA in the amblyopic eye and proportion of children whose amblyopia resolved (interocular difference of < or =1 line) with refractive correction alone. RESULTS: Amblyopia improved with optical correction by > or =2 lines in 77% of the patients and resolved in 27%. Improvement took up to 30 weeks for stabilization criteria to be met. After stabilization, additional improvement occurred with spectacles alone in 21 of 34 patients observed in a control group of a subsequent randomized trial, with amblyopia resolving in 6. Treatment outcome was not related to age, but was related to better baseline VA and lesser amounts of anisometropia. CONCLUSION: Refractive correction alone improves VA in many cases and results in resolution of amblyopia in at least one third of 3- to <7-year-old children with untreated anisometropic amblyopia. Although most cases of resolution occur with moderate (20/40-20/100) amblyopia, the average 3-line improvement in VA resulting from treatment with spectacles may lessen the burden of subsequent amblyopia therapy for those with denser levels of amblyopia.

A randomized trial to evaluate 2 hours of daily patching for strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia in children.

OBJECTIVE: To compare 2 hours of daily patching (combined with 1 hour of concurrent near visual activities) with a control group of spectacle wear alone (if needed) for treatment of moderate to severe amblyopia in children 3 to 7 years old. DESIGN: Prospective randomized multicenter clinical trial (46 sites). PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty children 3 to 7 years old with best-corrected amblyopic-eye visual acuity (VA) of 20/40 to 20/400 associated with strabismus, anisometropia, or both who had worn optimal refractive correction (if needed) for at least 16 weeks or for 2 consecutive visits without improvement. INTERVENTION: Randomization either to 2 hours of daily patching with 1 hour of near visual activities or to spectacles alone (if needed). Patients were continued on the randomized treatment (or no treatment) until no further improvement was noted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Best-corrected VA in the amblyopic eye after 5 weeks. RESULTS: Improvement in VA of the amblyopic eye from baseline to 5 weeks averaged 1.1 lines in the patching group and 0.5 lines in the control group (P = 0.006), and improvement from baseline to best measured VA at any visit averaged 2.2 lines in the patching group and 1.3 lines in the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: After a period of treatment with spectacles, 2 hours of daily patching combined with 1 hour of near visual activities modestly improves moderate to severe amblyopia in children 3 to 7 years old.