HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by LaRoche, G. R. Search for Related Content

The Hidden Challenges of Mixed Amblyopia

From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be addressed to: G. Robert La-Roche, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, IWK Health Centre, 5850 University Ave., Halifax NS, Canada B3K 6R8.

Introduction: This article will cover the subject of complex mixed amblyopia and its hidden challenges. Clarification of the terminology is followed by a clinical presentation of these difficult cases to illustrate their varied causes and many interactions. An examination of the evidence in the literature on treatment success is followed by a discussion on the challenges facing parents and members of the caring team in the management of complex mixed amblyopia.

Method: This exposé is both a critical summary of the literature on the subject and the result of 25 years of clinical experience in a busy tertiary care pediatric ophthalmic practice.

Results: Very little high quality evidence is available on the results of the treatment of complex mixed amblyopia. Descriptive series, illustrative case reports and anecdotal comments are nevertheless a source of information worthy of careful consideration to help both orthopists and ophthalmologists involved. The severity of the loss of organic integrity, a realistic visual target, and close monitoring of the therapeutic efforts are essential components of a successful outcome.

Conclusion: The treatment of complex mixed amblyopia is the ultimate test for the orthoptist. While the evidence in the literature is empirical at best, the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges it represents can nevertheless be met.

Key words: complex mixed amblyopia, treatment