Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate compliance of a novel technique for amblyopia treatment (the Eyetronix Flicker Glasses, EFG) in a group of children, most of whom had previously and unsuccessfully been treated with patching. Patching is an effective therapy for amblyopia when patients are compliant. However, compliance, particularly in older children, is very difficult primarily due to the decreased vision during the therapy and cosmetic and comfort issues.
Methods:
20 subjects aged 6-17 years with anisometropic amblyopia were recruited in 3 sites. Inclusion criteria was a 0.2 LogMAR difference in BCVA between eyes and anisometropia with spherical difference of 1.00D or cylindrical difference of 1.50D or greater. The EFG device has liquid crystal lenses with electronic shutters controlled by a microchip that allows for alternating rate of occlusion. Subjects wore the EFG over their glasses for 1 hour each day while engaged in a variety of near tasks. Follow-up visits occurred at 1, 3, 6, and 9 weeks after dispensing, with an exit visit at 12 weeks. Subjects kept a log of wear time, and phone calls were made weekly to evaluate self-reported compliance by the child and parent.
Results:
All subjects were compliant with the usage of the EFG glasses and the follow up visits. Children and parents reported a high level of enthusiasm with the EFG daily use, and many asked to wear them longer. Several subjects who went to sleep-away summer camp mentioned that they had to keep their bunkmates from using the EFG’s, who often thought they were “really cool”, “Google Glasses”, and fun to wear. None of the subjects reported discomfort or inability to perform near activities while wearing the EFG’s, and there were no adverse effects reported. Visual outcome measures are reported in a related abstract.
Conclusions:
Compliance is a major factor in the failure of amblyopia treatment and decreases with age. An ATS/PEDIG study(1) concluded that “For patients 13 to 17 years, … appears to be of little benefit if amblyopia was previously treated with patching.” A recent study (MOTUS)(2) using monitored patching methods concluded “compliance with patching treatment averages less than 50% … ”.The excellent compliance here with the EFG therapy gives hope this novel technique of amblyopia treatment may significantly improve our overall ability to treat this very prevalent and significant disorder in children.
Keywords: 417 amblyopia •
434 binocular vision/stereopsis •
754 visual acuity