Patching vs atropine to treat amblyopia in children aged 7 to 12 years: a randomized trial.
OBJECTIVE
To compare patching with atropine eyedrops in the treatment of moderate amblyopia (visual acuity, 20/40-20/100) in children aged 7 to 12 years.


METHODS
In a randomized, multicenter clinical trial, 193 children with amblyopia were assigned to receive weekend atropine or patching of the sound eye 2 hours per day. Main Outcome Measure Masked assessment of visual acuity in the amblyopic eye using the electronic Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study testing protocol at 17 weeks.


RESULTS
At 17 weeks, visual acuity had improved from baseline by an average of 7.6 letters in the atropine group and 8.6 letters in the patching group. The mean difference between groups (patching - atropine) adjusted for baseline acuity was 1.2 letters (ends of complementary 1-sided 95% confidence intervals for noninferiority, -0.7, 3.1 letters). This difference met the prespecified definition for equivalence (confidence interval <5 letters). Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye was 20/25 or better in 15 participants in the atropine group (17%) and 20 in the patching group (24%; difference, 7%; 95% confidence interval, -3% to 17%).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with atropine or patching led to similar degrees of improvement among 7- to 12-year-olds with moderate amblyopia. About 1 in 5 achieved visual acuity of 20/25 or better in the amblyopic eye.


CONCLUSIONS
Atropine and patching achieve similar results among older children with unilateral amblyopia.


BACKGROUND
(clinicaltrials.gov) Identifier: NCT00315328.
Scheiman
Mitchell M
MM
Jaeb Center for Health Research, Tampa, FL 33647, USA. pedig@jaeb.org
Hertle
Richard W
RW
Kraker
Raymond T
RT
Beck
Roy W
RW
Birch
Eileen E
EE
Felius
Joost
J
Holmes
Jonathan M
JM
Kundart
James
J
Morrison
David G
DG
Repka
Michael X
MX
Tamkins
Susanna M
SM
D000550:Amblyopia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001285:Atropine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009184:Mydriatics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
D009184:Mydriatics; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D001285:Atropine