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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
The Measurement and Treatment of Suppression in Amblyopia
Published on: December 14, 2012
Evaluation of the Amblyopia tracker app
Anna R O'Connor1, Ashli Warburton2, Martha Farrelly-Waters3
1School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Thompson Yates Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK. annaoc@liverpool.ac.uk.
Insights
The Amblyopia tracker app shows promising feasibility for parents monitoring their child's vision at home during amblyopia treatment. While results are comparable to clinical tests, some variability suggests further app improvements are needed for reliable clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Vision Care
- Digital Health Tools
Background:
- Amblyopia, or 'lazy eye', is a common cause of reduced vision in children.
- Effective monitoring during treatment is crucial for successful outcomes.
- Home-based tools can potentially improve treatment adherence and accessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and repeatability of the Amblyopia tracker app for home vision testing by parents.
- To compare home-based test results with in-clinic assessments by orthoptists.
Main Methods:
- Children under 18 with amblyopia used the app for home testing three times over two weeks.
- Parents completed usability questionnaires.
- Home tests were compared to measurements taken by an orthoptist within 48 hours.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were found between repeated home tests or between home and clinical measurements.
- 29% of repeated home tests showed interocular acuity difference (IAD) variability exceeding 0.1 logMAR.
- 97% of parents found the app usable and would recommend its availability.
Conclusions:
- The Amblyopia tracker app demonstrates feasibility and comparable results to clinical assessments for home-based amblyopia monitoring.
- While generally reliable, observed variability in repeated home testing indicates a need for further refinement.
- The app shows potential as a supplementary tool for parents in managing amblyopia treatment.
Purpose:
The Amblyopia tracker app has been developed to be a tool for parents to monitor changes in vision at home during amblyopia treatment. The aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and repeatability of parents testing their children at home and to compare home test results to an assessment in clinic by an orthoptist.
Methods:
Children (age < 18 years) with amblyopia (interocular acuity difference of ≥ 0.2logMAR) were recruited. Parents were asked to test their child with the app three times during a two week period followed by an online questionnaire about the usability. Participants also tested within 48 h of their appointment where the measurement was repeated by an orthoptist.
Results:
Out of 277 potential participants contacted, 37 completed three home measurements, mean age 6.8 years (SD 2.94). Home tests comparisons were made between test two and three to ensure familiarity with the process. Paired t-tests showed no statistically significant difference for either eye or the interocular acuity difference (IAD). However, 29% had a difference in IAD of more than 0.1logMAR on repeated testing, with a maximum of 0.4logMAR difference in the IAD. Questionnaire responses from the parents who participated were predominantly positive with 97% of respondents saying they would use it if were available. Comparison of home and clinical measurements (n = 23, mean age 6.72 SD 2.60) showed no statistically significant differences for either eye or interocular acuity difference (paired t-test, p > 0.3 in all cases).
Conclusion:
Results show no statistically significant differences for the Amblyopia tracker app when used by parents at home on repeated testing, or between the home test by a parent and the test by a clinician. However, variability in the results does indicate that further improvements are required to ensure the results can be used as a reliable clinical tool.
