title: Outcomes of 6 hour part-time occlusion treatment combined with near activities for unilateral amblyopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcome of the part-time occlusion therapy with near activities in monocular amblyopic patients according to gender, age, severity of amblyopia, and the cause of amblyopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty eight patients who were prescribed part-time occlusion therapy with near activity from July 1998 to October 2004, were included in this retrospective study. All patients were divided into groups by gender, age, severity of amblyopia, and the cause of amblyopia. Main outcome measures were best corrected visual acuity, line improvement, and success rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of patch therapy, visual acuity improved from baseline by an average of 3.2+/-2.5 lines (0.33+/-0.26 log MAR), and follow-up period was 19.71+/-14.61 months (1.62+/-1.20 years). At the last follow-up, visual acuity improved from baseline by an average of 3.7+/-2.4 lines (0.38+/-0.26 log MAR), and follow-up period was 37.41+/-25.83 months (3.08+/-2.12 years). The success rate was 86% (50 patients) at the end of patch therapy. In 44 patients out of 50 patients (88%), the visual acuity was maintained. While 43 patients out of 47 patients who were less than 7 years old (91%) achieved success, 7 patients out of 11 patients 7 years or older (64%) achieved success (p=0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Six-hour part-time occlusion treatment combined with near activities appears to be favorable in treating 58 children during follow-up of mean 3.08 years. The significant factor was the age at initial treatment.
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yoon Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kyung Doo
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Samin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Sueng Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology