A comparison of various methods of treatment of amblyopia. A block study.

The results of conventional occlusion, minimal occlusion and CAM treatment in the management of amblyopia have been investigated in two disparate populations from Cambridge, England and Ankara, Turkey. Each of these methods of treatment was equally effective as an initial therapy. However, if one form of therapy was ineffective or only partially successful, then further improvement can be obtained by using an alternative method. A quarter of the patients showed no improvement in vision at all despite vigorous and active treatment. It is suggested that minimal occlusion should be the first method of treatment but if this fails either or both conventional occlusion and CAM treatment should be used and therapy should not be abandoned until all these methods have been attempted.