The efficacy of optical and pharmacological penalization.

PURPOSE

Optical and pharmacological penalization of sound eyes are infrequently used alternatives to occlusion for treating amblyopia. The authors evaluated the efficacy of penalization as their primary treatment of amblyopia.

METHODS

One hundred sixty-six patients underwent penalization treatment for strabismic or anisometropic amblyopia for a minimum of 3 months. Both atropine and optical penalization methods were used.

RESULTS

Visual acuity improved in 67 (77%) of 87 patients treated with optical penalization. There was a significant improvement of the geometric mean visual acuity of the amblyopic eyes from 20/38 to 20/28 (P < 0.001). Visual acuity of 60 (76%) of 79 patients treated with pharmacological penalization improved. There was a significant improvement of mean visual acuity of the amblyopic eyes from 20/61 to 20/40 (P < 0.001). Neither therapy produced an instance of occlusion amblyopia. Thirteen patients discontinued therapy because of blur or discomfort.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that penalization methods are effective methods for the treatment of amblyopia, with a low risk of occlusion amblyopia. Patient acceptance of these methods was excellent. Penalization should be considered more often for the primary treatment of amblyopia.