Feasibility of a new 'balanced binocular viewing' treatment for unilateral amblyopia in children aged 3-8 years (BALANCE): results of a phase 2a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the safety of dichoptic balanced binocular viewing (BBV) for amblyopia in children, plus feasibility, adherence, acceptability, trial methodology and clinical measures of visual function.

Design: We carried out an observer-masked parallel-group phase 2a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Two study sites, a secondary/tertiary and a community site.

Providing multimedia information to children and young people increases recruitment to trials: pre-planned meta-analysis of SWATs.

Background: Randomised controlled trials are often beset by problems with poor recruitment and retention. Information to support decisions on trial participation is usually provided as printed participant information sheets (PIS), which are often long, technical, and unappealing. Multimedia information (MMI), including animations and videos, may be a valuable alternative or complement to a PIS.

Phase 2a randomised controlled feasibility trial of a new 'balanced binocular viewing' treatment for unilateral amblyopia in children age 3-8 years: trial protocol.

Introduction: Treatments for amblyopia, the most common vision deficit in children, often have suboptimal results. Occlusion/atropine blurring are fraught with poor adherence, regression and recurrence. These interventions target only the amblyopic eye, failing to address imbalances of cortical input from the two eyes ('suppression').

Binocular versus standard occlusion or blurring treatment for unilateral amblyopia in children aged three to eight years.

Background: Current treatments for amblyopia, typically patching or pharmacological blurring, have limited success. Less than two-thirds of children achieve good acuity of 0.20 logMAR in the amblyopic eye, with limited improvement of stereopsis, and poor adherence to treatment.

Preliminary clinical validation of a new picture-based visual acuity test in children with amblyopia: a comparison of The Auckland Optotypes and crowded logMAR letters.

Background/aims: Amblyopia is the most common visual deficit in children and accurate visual acuity (VA) assessment is essential for diagnosis. While ETDRS high-contrast logMAR VA is the reference standard test for adults, less agreement exists for pre-literate children. A new picture optotype acuity test (The Auckland Optotypes [TAO]) has shown favourable comparison to letter acuity charts but has not yet been evaluated in children with amblyopia.

Children's Accommodation to a Variety of Targets - A Pilot Study.

Background: Previous research indicates that a significant proportion of children underaccommodate at 1/3 m. Accommodation may vary with task demand, so children may accommodate appropriately if required, for example, when reading small print. This study explores the range of accommodative responses elicited in typical children, under naturalistic conditions, to a range of targets.