An \"inverse approach\" to the treatment of amblyopia
Recent laboratory finding suggest that short-term patching the amblyopic eye (i.e., inverse occlusion) results in a larger and more sustained improvement in the binocular balance compared with normal controls. In this study, we investigate the cumulative effects of the short-term inverse occlusion in adults and old children with amblyopia. A prospective cohort study of 18 amblyopes (10-35 years old; 3 with strabismus) who have been subjected to 2 hours/day of inverse occlusion for 2 months. Patients who required refractive correction or whose refractive correction needed updating were given a 2-month period of refractive adaptation. The primary outcome measure was the binocular balance which was measured using a phase combination task, the secondary outcome measures were the best corrected visual acuity which was measured with a Tumbling E acuity chart and convert to logMAR units and the stereo acuity which was measured with the Random-dot preschool stereotest. The averaged binocular gain was 0.11 in terms of the effective contrast ratio (z = -2.344, p = 0.019, 2-tailed Related samples Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test). The average acuity gain was 0.14 logMAR equivalent (t(17) = 0.13, p < 0.001, 2-tailed paired samples t-test). The averaged stereo acuity gain was 253 arc seconds (z = -2.689, p = 0.007). Based on more recent research concerning adult ocular dominance plasticity, contrary to current practice, patching the amblyopic eye makes more sense; comparable acuity benefits, better compliance, better binocular outcome and applicable to adults as well as old children.