2nd Global Pediatric Ophthalmology Congress

Aim: To investigate the effects of choline combined with Bangerter filter in the treatment of amblyopia and to evaluate increase in visual acuity. The evaluation was conducted in comparison to patients undergoing treatment with Bangerter filters alone.

Methods: A sample of 80 amblyopic subjects with initial average visual acuity of 0.63 with follow-up at 12 months was studied. All subjects were assigned to use a Bangerter filter placed on the corrective spectacle lens all waking hours and alternating the eye (1 day over the left eye, 1 day over the right eye). Choline was administered orally to 39 patients once daily, five days per week for the entire study period. Patients underwent ophthalmic examination of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye to assess the acuity vision in LogMar and refraction in cyclopegia, orthoptic examination with ocular motility study, cover/ uncover test with prism and fusion range.

Results: All patients demonstrated an increase in visual acuity. The patients with exodeviation associated with the administration of choline showed a 50% improvement of vision at 12 months and a 44.79% improvement was observed in patients with esodeviation. The subjects assigned to the Bangerter group experienced improvement in vision at 12 months, specifically a 28% improvement in patients with exodeviation and a 34% improvement in subjects with esodeviation was observed.

Conclusions: The filter is an effective amblyopia treatment; however these effects are markedly enhanced when coupled with the administration of choline. Findings suggest that the effects are particularly relevant in the more severe amblyopic cases.