Can modern technology improve compliance and successfully treat childhood amblyopia?

By Steven Pringle BSc(Hons) FBDO Amblyopia is a common condition whereby one eye, even corrected does not achieve its expected visual acuity (Levi et al., 2015). Amblyopia is currently treated as a monocular condition during the critical period (Sengpiel, 2014). Initially, where surgery is not required, amblyopia is treated by prescribing spectacles (Holmes, 2015), when this is not sufficient, a regime of patching is used as treatment (Hess and Thompson, 2013). A key issue with this method of treatment is that the patient must be compliant. Another issue with this form of treatment is that it assumes amblyopia to be a monocular condition; however, tests have established that amblyopia is in fact not a monocular defect (Birch, 2013). The aim of this study is to evaluate new methods of amblyopia treatment, to determine their suitability for use treating childhood amblyopia and if presenting subjects with more engaging forms of treatment improves compliance rates. *These articles are kindly provided by the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.*