What Is Lazy Eye?
6. Medical Care
It is important to first rule out an organic cause and treat any existing conditions such as cataracts. Congenital cataracts should be treated the first 2 months of life followed by treating refractive errors and anisometropia. An accurate correction for the lazy eye should be done next. All these should be done before occlusion therapy as there is a chance for vision to improve. Refractive correction has been found to improve amblyopia in 25% of patients. Occlusion therapy will then be performed by eye patching full time or part time. When there is no improvement of vision, it is important to consider poor compliance.
Besides adhesive patches, occluders on spectacles, adhesive tape on glasses, and opaque contact lens are also options that can be considered. Guardians should closely supervise children on occlusion therapy to make sure they do not peek. Older children may be enticed using a reward system while mittens and arm splints can be used in infants.
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