Wearing an eye patch for amblyopia

But many children also need an eye patch or eye drops to effectively treat the lazy eye. If the child's vision doesn't clearly improve in the lazy eye within twelve weeks despite wearing glasses, an eye patch or eye drops are used.

This treatment typically takes a few months, during which regular eye tests aredone. Eye patches should be worn for at least six hours each day. The eye drops are used once a day, just after getting up in the morning.

Their effect also lasts for a few hours. Research has shown that treating amblyopia with an eye patch or eye drops can improve vision in children. There was no difference between the two treatments in the studies. If the lazy eye is caused by a squint, it is usually treated with an eye patch — together with glasses, if necessary.

A lot of children who have a squint also have a refractive error. Research has found that treatment with glasses and eye patches improves the vision of children who have a squint. Surgery is sometimes used if the squint is severe. This involves tightening or loosening eye muscles in order to change the position of the eyeball.

The aim is to improve spatial vision ability to judge how close or far away things are and make the squint less noticeable to other people. The surgery doesn't improve the lazy eye problem itself, though, so it is typically only done after the lazy eye has been treated.

Some people worry that covering the healthy eye could make it weaker because it's then used less during the treatment. Eye drops can cause temporary sensitivity to light or a burning sensation. Sometimes a child might not be able to see properly with the healthy eye for a short while after treatment with eye drops. Eye drops may be particularly suitable for children who have problems wearing an eye patch.

Specialists recommend treating lazy eye as early as possible. For a long time, it was assumed that treatment would only be successful if it was started before the age of 7. But studies involving children and teenagers aged 7 to 17 suggest that later treatment can probably improve eyesight, too. Sometimes children are encouraged to train their weaker eye by doing activities like drawing or making things while wearing the eye patch.

Two studies have shown that this doesn't lead to a greater improvement in vision in most children. Most children don't have any problems wearing their eye patch in everyday life. Most doctors test vision as part of a child's medical exam. If they see any sign of eye problems, they may send a child to an ophthalmologist for further tests. Amblyopia is usually corrected by making the child use their weaker eye. In some cases, eye drops can be used to blur vision in the stronger eye.

Or the child may wear eyeglasses with a lens that blurs vision in that eye. It generally takes several weeks to several months to strengthen vision in the weaker eye. Once the child has better vision in that eye, they may need to wear an eye patch part-time for a few years.

This is because there is a chance that eye can weaken again. An eye patch should be comfortable, yet remain firmly in place. It should also not allow the child to peek around its edges.

Most drug stores have a variety of sizes and types of eye patches. Decorated fun patches are available online. Do not use the black eye patches with elastic bands or ties such as a pirate-type patches. These are too easy for a child to remove or peek around. If your child wears glasses, there are patches designed to attach to the lens. These may be good for children who are used to wearing a patch, but they are not as good for a child new to treatment.

This is because the patch can slip or the child may learn to peek around it. If your child wears glasses and is not used to patching, it is best to attach the patch directly around the stronger eye underneath the glasses. Covering the stronger eye with a patch is the most common method of treating amblyopia. To be effective, an eye patch must be worn as directed by your doctor. By providing support and reassurance, you can help your child comply with the patching treatment so that he or she can develop the best vision possible.

How you can help your child wear an eye patch for amblyopia Help your child understand why the patch is needed. Provide information The more your child and the people around him or her know about the patching as a treatment for amblyopia , the more successful the treatment is likely to be. Talk to your child before treatment begins. Explain that the patch is needed to help make vision in the affected eye stronger.

Explain to family and friends why your child is wearing the patch and how important it is that the patch stays on. Ask them to be supportive. Offer suggestions on ways they can help make the treatment successful. If your child is in daycare or school, talk with his or her caregivers and teachers. Often they will be glad to explain to your child's peers and classmates why he or she is wearing the patch and how they can help your child's treatment be successful.

This can help your child feel more comfortable about wearing the patch at daycare or in school. Set clear ground rules Set clear guidelines and establish realistic expectations for wearing the patch. Your doctor will tell you when your child must wear the patch and for how long. Explain the schedule to your child, and stay on it.

Make it clear what the consequences will be if he or she removes the patch. And tell your child about the rewards for keeping the patch on without complaints or difficulties. You may wish to set up a rule that only parents or caregivers and teachers can touch the patch when it is on. If your child is to wear the patch only part of the time, use a clock or a timer to mark when the patch is put on—and when it can come off.

This will give your child some well-defined limits and can also help avoid making you the "bad guy" for making sure the patch stays on for the required time. Use a day planner or a calendar to show your child when and how long to wear the patch and to keep track of his or her progress.

Let your child mark each time a patching session is completed. This can provide a visual "map" of the treatment and how much of it he or she has accomplished. Be supportive Wearing a patch can be difficult and uncomfortable. Amblyopia is commonly called "lazy eye. A child with amblyopia may not even know that he or she is using only one eye. Ignoring the image from the weak eye is the brain's unconscious response, not the child's decision.

Your child has no control over this process. Schedule the times when your child will wear the patch. It may be possible to wear the patch only at home. Then your child can avoid any hurtful comments or teasing that may happen because of the patch. Consider giving rewards when your child wears the patch without complaints or difficulties.

You can use a day planner or a calendar to show your child's progress toward the reward. Encourage support from family, friends, and classmates. Improvement in the sight of the lazy eye is often short lived. It creates visual disorientation and confusion in spatial judgments.

This in turn creates frustration and often emotional upset in the patient. Other children often make fun of a child wearing the patch. This is done by a vision therapist under the direct supervision of a Doctor of Optometry. Weekly or bi-weekly in-office procedures along with home-oriented visual activities are prescribed. This treatment approach yields the best outcomes, often resulting in normalization of eye sight in the amblyopic eye and the development of stereo vision 3-D vision for the child.

Eye patching alone is no longer the standard of care. As part of his full scope practice, Family Eye Care, he sees patients of all ages. He diagnoses and treats both eye disease and vision problems that affect individual who have amblyopia lazy eye. Please visit www.