Reasons why we might want to question the use of patching to treat amblyopia as well as the reliance on visual acuity as the primary outcome measure

BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2022 May;7(1):e000914. doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2021-000914. Epub 2022 May 19.

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that the primary deficit in amblyopia is loss of binocular vision and that the loss of monocular acuity is a secondary consequence. This new understanding derived from recent laboratory studies questions the present therapy and its primary acuity-based endpoint, which have been the gold standard in the treatment of this condition for the past 200 years.

Keywords: Child health (paediatrics); Psychophysics; Public health; Rehabilitation; Treatment Medical; Vision.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amblyopia* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Sensory Deprivation
  • Vision, Binocular
  • Visual Acuity