It depends on the severity of the condition. usually close follow up may require from 3-6 months

Occasionally the vision in the amblyopic eye does not improve despite the fact that the glasses have been worn full time and patching and / or penalisation has been carried out as instructed. When this happens the ophthalmologist will re-examine the back of the eye again to make sure that there is not a subtle […]

Although the connections between a child’s eyes and their brain are normally fully formed by the age of 8-9 years, occlusion therapy can still be successful up to the age of 14 in some cases.

In approximately 80% of children the visual improvement is maintained for at least a year after patching is stopped. Recurrence of the amblyopia is more likely to occur if patching is stopped Suddenly, if the amblyopic eye is much more long sighted than the good eye (anisometropic amblyopia) or when the amblyopia is a combination […]

The duration of patching will depend on the severity of the amblyopia, the age of the child and how well the child and their parents are able to stick to the prescribed patching regimen.

There is good evidence that 2 hours of patching a day is as effective as 6 hours of patching for moderate cases of amblyopia (vision between 20/40 – 20/80 or 6/12-6/24). In more severe amblyopia patching for 6 hours per day is usually recommended. It has been shown that full time patching is no more […]

If the squint swaps into the good eye occasionally this is a good sign for the vision, it means that the vision is becoming more equal in the two eyes. If the squint just swaps over occasionally keep patching for the recommended time. If at any point you think that the good eye is turning […]

The patching can be worn continuously for the prescribed time or it can be split up eg. 2 hours continuously or two 1 hour slots – whichever fits best into your routine. However, many parents find that splitting it up causes more “fuss” from the child! If you forget to patch one day try to […]

A squint operation can only restore the use of the two eyes together and / or improve the appearance of the squinting eye. It does not treat the poor vision in the amblyopic eye, this can only be done by patching / atropine drops and / or glasses. Is it worth me patching at all? […]

It is also cruel to deprive them of the possibility of better vision in their weak eye. An untreated squinting eye can lead to a virtually “blind” eye. This has consequences if the child should lose the sight of their good eye later in life through accident or eye disease.