Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ): clinical validation in a historic cohort.

Background: We recently developed the Amblyopia & Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ) to assess the quality of life in amblyopia and/or strabismus patients, and evaluated its content and criterion validity. The A&SQ was now validated clinically by correlating its outcome with past and current orthoptic parameters in a historic cohort of amblyopia and/or strabismus patients.

Methods: The cohort was derived from all 471 patients who were treated by occlusion therapy in the Waterland Hospital in Purmerend between 1968 and 1974 and born between 1962 and 1972.

Predictors and a remedy for noncompliance with amblyopia therapy in children measured with the occlusion dose monitor.

Purpose: Noncompliance is one of the limiting factors in the success of occlusion therapy for amblyopia. Electronic monitoring was used to investigate predictors of noncompliance, and, in a prospective randomized clinical trial, determined the effectiveness of an educational program.

Methods: Compliance was measured electronically during 1 week every 3 months in 310 newly diagnosed amblyopic children.

Objective survey of the prescription of occlusion therapy for amblyopia.

Purpose: To identify the variation within and consistency amongst orthoptists when prescribing occlusion therapy for amblyopia in an objective survey.

Methods: A questionnaire was designed with five case examples of amblyopic children and distributed at annual meetings of orthoptists in The Netherlands and Germany. It was filled in simultaneously within 15 min in complete silence to avoid any exchange of opinions between orthoptists that would reduce variability.