Amblyopia Treatment Outcomes Re-Audit, Comparing Current Outcomes to Those from the 2011-12 Audit

An audit of the effectiveness of amblyopia treatment in the Newcastle Eye Centre (NEC) to determine how current visual acuity (VA) outcomes compare to those found in the 2011-12 audit.

A retrospective database review. VA outcomes of patients who had undergone treatment for anisometropic, strabismic and mixed amblyopia; discharged between 31.08.2016 - 01.09.19, were compared with VA outcomes found in the previous audit. The previous audit reviewed patients commencing amblyopia treatment during 1.1.11-31.12.12.An unpaired T-test was used to assess if results were statistically significantly different to those found previously. Proportion of visual change from commencement to completion of treatment was calculated. The duration of episode from first visit to discharge, adverse events and percentage of patients who achieved acceptable visual outcomes following only six to eight weeks of occlusion, were also analysed.

Between 31.8.16 and 01.09.19, 1,100 patients were discharged, of which 174 had completed amblyopia treatment and fit the inclusion criteria for the audit. Results show no statistically significant difference between current and previous VA outcomes for each type of amblyopia. The majority of patients (60%) achieve a VA outcome of ≤0.250 (logMAR) in the amblyopic eye. This is comparable to the previous audit where 59% of patients achieved a VA outcome of ≤0.250. Most patients still achieve a level of VA which is equal or almost equal to the fellow eye following amblyopia treatment. Treatment is still completed within a two-year period for the majority of patients (62%). There was only one adverse event and this related to atropine occlusion. Only 18 out of the 174 (10%) patients showed that occlusion could be discontinued following just six to eight weeks of treatment.

The treatment of amblyopia in the NEC is as successful as found in the previous audit and the current amblyopia treatment protocol remains effective. Only 10% of patients achieved the appropriate VA for amblyopia treatment to be ceased on their first return visit. This indicates that the follow-up length for patients undergoing amblyopia treatment could be extended beyond six to eight weeks without causing a detriment to VA outcome.