Combined passive and active treatment in strabismic amblyopia with accommodative component

Treatment of amblyopia in esotropic subjects with accommodative component currently consists of optical correction and subsequent occlusion, or penalisation, of the dominant eye. This treatment obtains a good outcome in visual acuity but poor outcomes in binocular vision. An intervention protocol that could improve the outcome of conventional treatment is presented.

A retrospective study in subjects with amblyopia associated with both fully accommodative and partially accommodative esotropia is presented. Subjects were refracted under cycloplegia and treated with occlusion (passive therapy). Subjects who did not achieve orthotropia through optical correction (partially accommodative esotropia) performed an active therapy (full-time prismatic correction and subsequent fusional vergence therapy or surgery in larger angles > 12 prism dioptres). After treatment, the subjects were examined by a masked optometrist in an external ophthalmology clinic.

Twenty-six subjects (12 males and 14 females) aged from six to 13 years (median 8.50; interquartile range [IQR] 3) were included. Median age of detection was three years (IQR 1). All the subjects were hyperopic. In the baseline, median best-corrected visual acuity of the amblyopic eye was 0.40 logMAR (IQR 0.30) and 0.00 logMAR (IQR 0.01) in the dominant eye. After the treatment, the median best-corrected visual acuity in the amblyopic eye was 0.06 logMAR (IQR 0.08). These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). All subjects acquired stereoacuity equal or better than 800'' with the Randot Preschool Stereoacuity Test.

The proposed treatment highlights the management of amblyopia in esotropic subjects with accommodative component. This intervention protocol could help to determine if the treatment has to be passive (in fully accommodative esotropia) or a combination of passive and active therapies (in partially accommodative esotropia).