The use of occlusive contact lenses after failure of conventional for treatment of amblyopia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and assess the risks associated with occlusive contact lenses (OCLs) use to treat refractory amblyopia in children who failed the conventional amblyopia treatment with patching and atropine penalization. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series of all children treated with an OCL in the sound eye over an 8-year period. Data were collected on the age, gender, and type of amblyopia, previous treatment received, and its duration. The compliance, tolerance, and adverse effects of OCL were recorded. RESULTS: There were 12 patients of which 10 were male. The mean age at the time of OCL use was 47.3 months (range 26–86 months). Anisometropic amblyopia was present in 1, combined anisometropia and strabismus in 3, strabismic amblyopia in 5, and stimulus deprivation amblyopia in 3. All patients had conventional patching for a mean period of 14 months, followed by atropine penalization in nine patients for a mean period of 4 months. The mean duration of OCL use ranged from 2 weeks to 6 months. There were nine patients with visual improvement (75%). The mean improvement seen was 0.4 log of the minimum angle of resolution. There was no occlusion amblyopia. Four patients had conjunctivitis; one had a peripheral corneal abrasion. CONCLUSION: The OCL is a useful adjunct in the treatment of amblyopia that is refractory to conventional treatment. The side effect profile is acceptable, but patients require close monitoring.