Lazy eye treatment helps older children

PITTSBURGH, April 11 (UPI) -- A U.S. clinical trial suggests children age 7 to 17 suffering from amblyopia might benefit from treatments commonly used on younger children.

Amblyopia, commonly called Lazy Eye, affects 3 percent of the population and usually begins in infancy or childhood. Many eye care professionals have believed treating amblyopia in older children was of little benefit.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Chief of Ophthalmology Dr. Richard W. Hertle found 53 percent of children ages 7 to 12 years who received glasses and treatment demonstrated successful vision improvement, while only 25 percent of those children in the age group who received glasses alone improved.

The researchers said it is not known whether vision improvement will be sustained in the children once treatment is discontinued.

The study appears in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.