Optimal compliance for amblyopia therapy: occlusion with a translucent tape on the lens

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate that optimal compliance to amblyopia therapy and a better visual outcome can be achieved by occluding the lens over the preferred eye with a translucent tape. Study Design: Prospective study of amblyopic children. Participants: Eighty-four amblyopic children recruited from 2000 to 2006 at the Montreal Children’s Vision Centre. Methods: A group of bilateral ametropes (mean age 3.8 years) were treated with glasses and occlusion of the sound eye with a translucent tape on the lens over the preferred eye, or an adhesive patch. The translucent tape reduced vision to hand motion at 0.3 m in the sound eye. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the treatment received. Group 1 ( n = 36) was occluded with a translucent tape, and group 2 ( n = 48) with a conventional adhesive patch, later replaced by the translucent tape. Twenty-five previously reported patients, treated with the conventional adhesive patch only, were used as controls (group 3). Results: The mean amblyopic visual acuity was 20/100–2. Compliance was good in 36 patients (group 1), and was poor or deteriorated in 24/48 patients (group 2). Substituting the adhesive patch with a translucent tape permitted uninterrupted and prolonged occlusion, with a successful visual outcome. The amblyopic eye achieved a significantly better final vision (20/30+2; groups 1+2) than the controls (20/40+1; group 3) ( p = 0.04). Sixty-four (76.19%) patients achieved ≥20/30. Conclusions: The translucent tape optimizes compliance and yields better vision by lengthening the duration of occlusion therapy and reducing the number of treatment failures due to noncompliance.