Do drops work for all amblyopic children?
Not all children benefit from eye drop treatment for amblyopia. Penalizing eye drops (such as atropine) work less well when the stronger eye is nearsighted. How many hours per day patching is enough when treating amblyopia? The mainstay of treating amblyopia is patching of the dominant (good) eye, either full or part-time during waking hours. Although classic teaching suggests that the more hours per day patching is performed, the greater the result, recent studies suggest that shorter periods may achieve similar results as longer amounts of patching in patients with moderate amounts of amblyopia. How long does amblyopia patching therapy take to work? Although vision improvement frequently occurs within weeks of beginning patching treatment, optimal results often take many months. Once vision has been improved, part-time (maintenance) patching or periodic use of atropine eyedrops may be required to keep the vision from slipping or deteriorating. This maintenance treatment may be advisa
