[Some aspects of the current controversy about the treatment of amblyopia].

Occlusion has been used for centuries for treating amblyopia but in recent years an intensive debate about the treatment has arisen. The aim of this article is to summarize some of the new aspects of this discussion: on the one hand the effect of occlusion treatment during childhood is being questioned and on the other hand experimental approaches are being tested which are aimed at treating amblyopia in adults. Evidence from own experimental work is presented showing the influence of occlusion on the spatial localization of visual stimuli. A continuation of research on amblyopia and the effect of the therapy is urgently needed.