A randomized trial of prescribed patching regimens for treatment of severe amblyopia in children.
OBJECTIVE
To compare full-time patching (all hours or all but 1 hour per day) to 6 hours of patching per day, as prescribed treatments for severe amblyopia in children younger than 7 years.


METHODS
Prospective, randomized multicenter clinical trial (32 sites).


METHODS
One hundred seventy-five children younger than 7 years with amblyopia in the range of 20/100 to 20/400.


METHODS
Randomization either to full-time patching or to 6 hours of patching per day, each combined with at least 1 hour of near-visual activities during patching.


METHODS
Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye after 4 months.


RESULTS
Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye improved a similar amount in both groups. The improvement in the amblyopic eye acuity from baseline to 4 months averaged 4.8 lines in the 6-hour group and 4.7 lines in the full-time group (P = 0.45).


CONCLUSIONS
Six hours of prescribed daily patching produces an improvement in visual acuity that is of similar magnitude to the improvement produced by prescribed full-time patching in treating severe amblyopia in children 3 to less than 7 years of age.
Jonathan M
JM
Holmes
Raymond T
RT
Kraker
Roy W
RW
Beck
Eileen E
EE
Birch
Susan A
SA
Cotter
Donald F
DF
Everett
Richard W
RW
Hertle
Graham E
GE
Quinn
Michael X
MX
Repka
Mitchell M
MM
Scheiman
David K
DK
Wallace
D000550:Amblyopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology