Eye patching

Patching is the most common and effective treatment to improve poor vision in an eye afflicted with amblyopia. Covering the good eye stimulates the development of better vision in amblyopic eye by forcing the brain to rely on the weaker eye for vision.

Your Park Nicollet Eye Care professional will prescribe a patching treatment, if necessary. The prescription will describe how long and which eye needs to be patched. For treatment to be successful, the patch must be worn as prescribed and the wearer unable to peek while wearing the patch.

Safety is an important concern when children first begin using the patch treatment. Because children are using the weaker eye for vision, parents will need to take extra precautions when the child is crossing streets, using stairs or participating in outdoor activities, such as bicycle riding.

In addition to wearing the patch, visual exercises can encourage using the amblyopic eye and speed visual recovery. Try activities such as:

• mazes, dot-to-dot puzzles, word searches and coloring books with fine details
• small beads or crafts, where attention to fine details is required
• video games, board games and card games are great for exercising the amblyopic eye to better focus on details

For additional tips and suggestions on the patch treatment, schedule an appointment with your Park Nicollet eye care professional. Call 952-993-3150.

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