Vision testing in amblyopia–should occlusion be worn before testing v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Vision testing in amblyopia–should occlusion be worn before testing?
IRAS ID
235359
Contact name
Sonia Toor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Researchregistry3079, Research Registry; 154688, University costing project code
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 28 days
Research summary
For some children with a lazy eye who are having patching treatment to improve vision, we find that the level of vision in the lazy eye can be variable. The vision of each eye is tested individually, with a patch used to the cover the eye not being tested. Sometimes, we find that if children come into clinic with their patch on, or if we get them to wait with the patch on for ten minutes the vision can improve.
Having a patch on for a short time before testing vision in the clinic instead of testing immediately after putting the patch on may increase the vision measurement achieved, and could impact in a number of ways. It could add to the current literature surrounding vision testing during patching treatment, including the need to restart patching after a drop in vision when patching is stopped. It may also be involved in the explanation of the improvement of vision in the lazy eye in adulthood when vision in the good eye is lost, and could influence future methodology in studies assessing the effectiveness of patching treatment.
Children with lazy eyes who are currently undergoing patching treatment at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust will be asked if they wish to be included in the study. The research will be carried out in the Orthoptic clinic when patients attend the hospital for their normal appointment, and will only take an extra 15 minutes. Recruitment is planned to start in December 2017 and will continue until the end of March 2018, with the aim of recruiting 42 patients. The study is associated with the University of Sheffield as part of a Masters degree.
We are going to randomly assign each child into one of two groups. There will be a test group who will have the patch on for ten minutes and a control group who will wait for ten minutes without the patch on. Both groups will have their vision tested before and after the ten minutes and we will see if there is any difference between the two groups.REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/2095
Date of REC Opinion
12 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion