The purpose of this study is to compare the results of two standard treatments for amblyopia
in order to find out if one is more effective than the other. Amblyopia, which develops in
childhood, is also called "lazy eye," because one eye is not being used properly. The brain
favors the other eye for some reason, such as crossing or turning out of the eyes, and vision
in the weak eye is reduced.
Amblyopia is treated by forcing the child to use the weak eye. There are two ways to do this:
1) a patch placed over the "good" eye forces the child to use the weak eye; or 2) an eye drop
placed in the "good" eye once a day to blur vision in that eye makes the child rely on the
weak eye. The success rates with both of these methods have been reported to be about the
same; this study will try to identify if one is more effective than the other.
Children will be randomly assigned by computer to one of the following two treatment methods:
Patch
The child initially will wear a patch over the "good" eye for 8 to 12 hours every day. If
vision in the weak eye improves, the patching time will be decreased. If vision remains good
after 3 months, the patching will be stopped, unless the child's doctor believes treatment
should continue. If vision in the weak eye does not improve, the patching time will be
increased.
Eye Drops
The child will be given one drop per day of atropine in the "good" eye. If vision in the weak
eye improves, the drops will be given less often. If the vision remains good after 3 months,
the drops will be stopped, unless the child's doctor believes treatment should continue. If
the initial daily drop does not improve the vision in the weak eye, the child's eyeglasses
may be changed to try to further blur the vision in the "good" eye.
After 6 months, treatment may be stopped if it has not been successful. If treatment has been
successful after 6 months, it may be continued at a reduced amount or stopped.
Follow-up visits will be scheduled every 4 weeks for the first 6 months and every 2 to 4
months after that until the end of the 2-year study. During each visit the eyes will be
examined for eye movements and vision, and the pupils will be dilated to examine the inside
of the eye.