Smart glasses for 'lazy eye' treatment

Programmable electronic glasses can help improve vision in children just as well as the more traditional treatment using eye patches, a new study on 'lazy eye' disease has found. This 'digital patch' is the first new effective treatment for 'lazy eye' in half a century. Lazy eye, also called amblyopia, remains the most common cause of visual impairment in children. “Unfortunately, getting kids to comply with lazy eye treatments like eye patches or medicated drops remains a challenge for both ophthalmologists and parents alike,” the researchers said.

The new electronic glasses combine vision correction and occlusion. The lenses can be filled to fit a child's vision prescription. Because the lenses are liquid crystal display (LCD), they can also be programmed to turn opaque. The researchers at the Glick Eye Institute at Indiana University tested the effectiveness of occlusion glasses compared to patching. They recruited 33 children with lazy eye between age three and eight. One group wore an adhesive patch for two hours daily. The other wore Amblyz occlusion glasses for four hours daily. After three months, both groups of children showed the same amount of improvement in the lazy eye.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Amblyz occlusion glasses. It is now available in the US from eye care professionals for around $450.