Amblyopia
Disease Information
Research & Innovation
The Department of Ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital is known nationally and internationally for its innovative techniques in treating difficult vision problems in babies and children.
Pediatric Vision Scanner catching amblyopia sooner
A doctor's invention is helping catch amblyopia in just seconds and well before the norm. David Hunter, chief of Ophthalmology at Boston Children’s has co-invented the Pediatric Vision Scanner. In just two and a half seconds, the device can catch vision loss or misaligned eyes in children as young as two. Read the ABC News story and watch the video.
Amblyopia clinical trials
Boston Children’s Hospital is conducting a clinical trial using a medication called donepezil in older children and adults who have lost vision from amblyopia after an eye patch has failed to help. Read more about the details of this study.
The Department of Ophthalmology at Boston Children’s is a designated research site for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigations Group (PEDIG), a collaborative network funded by the National Eye Institute that facilitates multicenter clinical research in eye disorders that affect children. The department is currently investigating the efficacy of patching therapy to treat intermittent exotropia (outward deviation of the eyes) in children between the ages of 1 and 10. Read more from PEDIG.
Extending the boundaries of cataract surgery in babies and children
Cataract surgery on babies is extremely difficult, but untreated cataracts prevent the developing brain from learning to see.
After cataract surgery in infants, contact lenses or intraocular lenses are used to focus a baby’s eyes. Intraocular lenses are being implanted in children at younger ages. Ophthalmologists at Boston Children's have successfully treated babies as young as a few days old with cataract extraction and as young as 6 months old with lens implantation. The hospital is part of a national multi-center study to determine whether infants younger than 6 months of age are better treated with intraocular lenses or contact lenses after cataract surgery.
