An Historical Look at Amblyopia – from Patch to Patch

Sara Shippman, CO

Amblyopia is one of the major areas of treatment in which the orthoptist is an active participant. As the understanding of the pathophysiology of amblyopia evolved so did the treatment attempt to respond. Reviewing the evolution of amblyopia treatment can help one to appreciate the present day treatment. Though it appears that the treatment has remained the same, i.e.: patching, this is not really the issue as our understanding of amblyopia increases.
Purpose: this paper reviews the evolution of theories about amblyopia and the treatment responses up to the present day.