Prognosis

The prognosis depends on the age of onset, cause, severity, duration, previous treatment, adherence to treatment, and concomitant conditions.[41]

Amblyopia treatment is highly effective when instituted early in life. Untreated amblyopia portends a lifelong decrease in unilateral visual acuity and even increases the risk of bilateral visual impairment. Treated, visual acuity usually responds rapidly within weeks to months before tending to plateau.

Untreated amblyopia

Untreated amblyopia is unlikely to improve on its own.[90] If the amblyopia is not treated during childhood, with some exceptions, permanent vision loss results.[1]​​​[12][13] People with unilateral vision loss due to amblyopia also have an increased risk of vision loss in the normal eye. One population-based study found that, among people with amblyopia, the incidence of vision loss in the normal eye was 1.75/1000, which was compared with the lower overall incidence of adult blindness of 0.66/1000.[98] More than half of the causes of vision loss in the sound eye were trauma.[98] Another population study found that the lifetime risk of bilateral visual impairment was 18% in people with amblyopia compared with 11% in the general population, and that people with amblyopia had bilateral visual impairment 6 months longer than the general population.[99]

Treated amblyopia

The first amblyopia treatment study conducted by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group demonstrated that 75% of children younger than age 7 years with moderate amblyopia attain visual acuity of 20/30 or better in the amblyopic eye with treatment.[57] Visual acuity benefits are maintained in the long term.[58][70] However, even among children with anisometropic amblyopia and visual outcome of 20/25 or better in the treated amblyopic eye, stereopsis is worse than among nonamblyopic children of the same age.[100]

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