Abstract
Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular visual impairment of children and young adults. For the past 150 years, treatment has consisted of occlusion of the sound eye attempting to detect and treat children before 7 to 8 years of age and the patching dose, length of treatment, and how to stop treatment was largely determined by the inclination of the treating clinician. In recent years, however, a series of clinical trials have addressed several important clinical issues. These trials in the US and the UK have been designed to address specific levels of amblyopia and have largely concentrated on amblyopia due to anisometropia, strabismus, or a combination of both. Issues addressed include initial dosage of patching needed for response, monitoring compliance with “smart” patches, pharmacologic methods of penalization, and recurrence of amblyopia after cessation of treatment, as well as the impact of treatment on the family. Importantly, a study by PEDIG has been undertaken to determine the upper age limit at which a response to treatment might be expected.