Trial Comparing Atropine to Atropine Plus a Plano Lens for the Sound Eye for Amblyopia in Children 3 to <7 Years Old

Atropine is an effective treatment of moderate amblyopia. Reduction of the plus sphere for the sound eye is an accepted method of enhancing and possibly accelerating the treatment effect. Demonstrating additional value of the plano lens in terms of speed of improvement will shorten the treatment period, possibly improving child and parental compliance, leading to improved overall outcomes for patients with amblyopia. If the plano lens leads to greater improvement, then there will be less permanent visual impairment in patients with a history of amblyopia. It also is important to determine if the use of a plano lens in conjunction with atropine has a deleterious effect on the sound eye, and if yes, how often this occurs. Little is known about the pharmacologic treatment of severe amblyopia. This study will provide important prospectively determined outcome data at little additional expense. In a study conducted by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, A Randomized Trial Comparing Daily Atropine Versus Weekend Atropine for Moderate Amblyopia, the use of weekend atropine for moderate amblyopia was as effective as daily treatment. Intermittent atropine use (such as using it only on the weekends) has the theoretical potential benefit of the sound eye having some time each week during which cycloplegia is only partial. It is possible that allowing some loss of the cycloplegic effect over the course of each week may be safer for the sound eye. The study has been designed as a simple trial that, other than the type of amblyopia therapy being determined through the randomization process, approximates standard clinical practice. The two treatment regimes for the 18 week primary treatment period are: 1) Atropine 1% once each weekend day in the sound eye and 2) Atropine 1% once each weekend day in the sound eye plus a plano lens for the sound eye.