Abstract
Purpose: :
A recent study (Nazami et al, 2008) suggested that telescopic magnification improves visual acuity (VA) in older children with anisometropic amblyopia who have failed previous treatment; however, a proper control group was lacking. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of telescopic magnification on amblyopic patients, and compare their results with those without telescope treatment.
Methods: :
Amblyopic patients, aged 4-17, who have failed previous treatment were recruited. Inclusion criteria were: (1) VA 20/40-20/400 in the amblyopic eye; (2) VA 20/40 or better in the sound eye; (3) intraocular VA difference of at least 0.3 logMAR; and (4) absence of any ocular pathology. Patients were randomly assigned to either 30 minutes of patching of the sound eye only daily (patching only group), or 30 minutes of patching of sound eye plus concurrent use of a telescope (2.2x) on the amblyopic eye daily (telescope group). Using a ETDRS logMAR chart, best corrected VA was recorded at baseline and at 5 weeks after treatment.
Results: :
Thirteen patients were recruited. Seven patients were assigned to the patching only group, and six to the telescope group. The mean baseline VA of patients in the two treatment groups was similar (0.8 logMAR). There was no significant difference in mean VA improvement between the telescope (0.22 logMAR) group and patching only group (0.25 logMAR; p=0.69).
Clinical Trial: :
Hosp for Sick Children (REB 1000011712)