The age limit to treat amblyopia has changed, according to a new study from the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group.
Traditionally, eye doctors have not recommended treating amblyopia in children past age 9 or 10. Thats no longer the case.
Eye care professionals should not be using age as a factor when considering whether to prescribe amblyopia treatment for older children, says pediatric optometrist and vision therapy specialist Mitch Scheiman, co-chair of the study.
Specifically, amblyopia treatment was successful in more than half (53%) of children ages 7 to 12 who were treated with a protocol of glasses, eye patching or atropine drops, and near-work activities (i.e., playing GameBoy). One in four children ages 13 to 17 were also successfully treated with the same protocol. Researchers defined successful treatment as an improvement of two or more lines of vision.
The study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute, enrolled 507 children ages 7 to 17 at 49 sites. Dr. Scheiman oversaw the site at Pennsylvania College of Optometry, where he is director of the pediatric and binocular vision programs.
One very surprising result was that just by prescribing glasses, about 25% of the children improved by two lines or more, Dr. Scheiman says.
Another surprising finding: Nearly half (47%) of the participants ages 13 to 17 who had never been treated before for amblyopia were successfully treated.
Still, most patients did not recover vision completely, Dr. Scheiman says. And, although the study shows that amblyopia treatment can improve vision even in older children, we still think its best to treat them before the age of 7, he says.
The researchers note that they cant say for sure whether these results will be sustained once they discontinue treatment. To that end, Dr. Scheiman says, the research group is conducting a one-year follow-up study, to be published at the end of this summer.
(For more on the implications of this study, see Comanagement Q&A.)
Traditionally, eye doctors have not recommended treating amblyopia in children past age 9 or 10. Thats no longer the case.
Eye care professionals should not be using age as a factor when considering whether to prescribe amblyopia treatment for older children, says pediatric optometrist and vision therapy specialist Mitch Scheiman, co-chair of the study.
Specifically, amblyopia treatment was successful in more than half (53%) of children ages 7 to 12 who were treated with a protocol of glasses, eye patching or atropine drops, and near-work activities (i.e., playing GameBoy). One in four children ages 13 to 17 were also successfully treated with the same protocol. Researchers defined successful treatment as an improvement of two or more lines of vision.
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The study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute, enrolled 507 children ages 7 to 17 at 49 sites. Dr. Scheiman oversaw the site at Pennsylvania College of Optometry, where he is director of the pediatric and binocular vision programs.
One very surprising result was that just by prescribing glasses, about 25% of the children improved by two lines or more, Dr. Scheiman says.
Another surprising finding: Nearly half (47%) of the participants ages 13 to 17 who had never been treated before for amblyopia were successfully treated.
Still, most patients did not recover vision completely, Dr. Scheiman says. And, although the study shows that amblyopia treatment can improve vision even in older children, we still think its best to treat them before the age of 7, he says.
The researchers note that they cant say for sure whether these results will be sustained once they discontinue treatment. To that end, Dr. Scheiman says, the research group is conducting a one-year follow-up study, to be published at the end of this summer.
(For more on the implications of this study, see Comanagement Q&A.)
Scheiman MM, Hertle RW, Beck RW, et al. Randomized trial of treatment of amblyopia in children aged 7 to 17 years. Arch Ophthalmol 2005 Apr;123(4):437-47.
Vol. No: 142:5Issue:
5/15/05
