Amblyopia: treatments also work for adolescents

A research published in Archives of Ophthalmology has demonstrated that amblyopia, the non-development of vision acuity in one eye, can be treated in children of up to 17 years of age.

Ophthalmologists at America's National Eye Institute had children of up to 12 years of age wear a plaster over the healthy eye for several hours a day and, to be even more sure of strengthening the lazy eye, they were provided with an eyewash that would further limit the use of the healthy eye. Adolescents between 13 and 17 were treated with the plaster only.

They were all encouraged to carry out activities where close-up vision was necessary and, after six months, they were compared with patients of the same age who only had corrective glasses suitable for their sight defect.

As regards the under 12s, one child in two had significant improvement in the sight of the eye affected by amblyopia; there was also partial improvement in the sight of older children, especially those who had never undergone any previous treatment.

Recovery is not complete but, according to the authors, these data show that we shouldn't give up on older children, because age alone is not a sufficient reason to throw in the towel without even trying to solve the problem of amblyopia.

(Source: Corriere Salute)