SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE WHEN TREATING CHILDREN VISION

How to choose an eyepatch for the treatment?

The eyepatch should be convenient but should cover completely the stronger eye to ensure that the eyes with the weaker vision work. Families must pay attention to ensure that children do not remove, remove the bandages/eye patch during treatment. You can use an eyepatch with elastic around the head or, better, a sticky eye patch.

In the case of children wearing corrective lenses, you can glue a sticky patch to the glasses lens, but it is better to use a patch directly to the stronger eyes.

Be careful not to let children remove the eye patch/bandage

Children often do not like bandages/patches. However, families must explain, motivate and supervise the children to comply with treatment. If not, the treatment will be ineffective.

Try doing some activities to distract the child's attention from the eyepatch, or offer prizes for children when they wear an eyepatch.

 You also need the teacher’s cooperation at school to help your child and to praise him when he/her wears the eyepatch. Children will be excited and motivated when being praised.

Some notes when using patch:

In rare cases, prolonged use of the patch may affect eye health, please follow your doctor's treatment and check up on time for the doctor to assess binocular vision.

The skin around the eyes where the eye is patched may be reddened or allergic. It can be reduced by changing different sticker sizes and shapes.

Your child may be clumsy when wearing an eyepatch, so keep an eye on them when they climb stairs or play sports.

Surgical amblyopia treatment

Some causes of amblyopia (e.g. strabismus, cataracts) require surgical intervention. After the surgery is complete, your child still needs a stronger eye patched until his/her weaker eye vision recovers. This treatment is only effective when your child has to use the weaker eye to see. This treatment should be started as soon as possible or after the age of 6, the ability to recover will be lower. Therefore, parents should let their children get their eyes checked for early detection of refractive errors and amblyopia from the age of 4 or 5 years old and check-up annually.