Assessing Previous Strategies and Presenting a Novel Smart Glasses to Enhance Adherence to Amblyopia Therapy in Children.

Abstract

Amblyopia treatment in children, often involving patching or atropine, faces significant challenges with adherence. Adherence to patching is often poor due to discomfort and psychosocial factors such as social stigma, while adherence data for atropine treatment remains scarce, hindering a clear understanding of patients' adherence in real-world settings. This review assesses both traditional methods and alternative strategies aimed at improving adherence, including Bangerter filters, binocular therapies, intermittent occlusion, and perceptual learning. While these alternatives help reduce the treatment burden, they do not consistently outperform conventional methods in improving visual outcomes and still face notable adherence challenges, especially in older children. Educational interventions, such as cartoons and motivational tools, show promise in improving adherence, especially in low-adherence populations, but their long-term effectiveness has yet to be established. Digital therapies such as Luminopia and CureSight represent promising alternatives to traditional amblyopia treatments, with preliminary evidence indicating improvements in visual outcomes and adherence. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to determine their efficacy and how they compare to established methods. Building on this, we hypothesize that the AmblySmart glasses, a novel technology that integrates with smart devices, could further improve adherence by linking treatment to children's screen time. However, further studies are needed to investigate this technology's effectiveness and practicality compared to traditional methods. Overall, this review highlights the importance of developing innovative approaches to optimize adherence and improve treatment outcomes in amblyopic children.