Last week we went to the eye Doctor to for Hailey's monthly check up. We were supposed to be patching half a day, everyday. I had done some research about patching, and I decided that Hailey would benefit from patching less time, but adding some vision therapy. When i told the Doctor that we had been doing this, he was less than pleased, and went into this huge spill about the importance of patching. (like I didn't know, she been patching since she was 4) Anyways after he did her eye exam he reluctantly said, "Di spite your not patching as directed, she shows improvement". VICTORY!!!
We are praying that after we move we can find her a good vision therapist. If what little I have done at home has helped, I can't imagine what a professional could do.
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Congratulations, Angela and Hailey!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on doing some research and being an advocate for your daughter. You've probably seen the National Eye Institute research on amblyopia, showing that two hours of patching daily combined with one hour of near visual activities daily was as good as six hours of patching per day. The key to success with amblyopia treatment is learning how to use both eyes together as a team. Patching helps strengthen some of the skills of the amblyopic eye, but it does not build binocularity in the brain. If you need help finding a good vision therapist, you can use the Find a Doctor section of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, www.COVD.org
You're right that less patching is often just as effective as more, and less stressful for the child and parent. Google Amblyopia Treatment Studies and you'll see lots of evidence to support this. And while there is less evidence for vision therapy and amblyopia, most doctors that do vision therapy, combine patching with active vision therapy to get better results. Check out COVD.org to find a doctor that is board certified in vision therapy. Good luck with the surgery.
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