Programmable electronic glasses could be as effective as traditional eye patches and eye drops to improve vision of children suffering from lazy eye, a new study finds.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, this “digital patch” is the first new effective treatment for lazy eye in half a century. It goes a step further than the occlusion method, which both eye drops and eye patches use. Occlusion blocks vision in the eye with the best sight, forcing the brain to rely on the weak or lazy eye. While vision improves during this process, a number of children will still need glasses to correct their eyesight.

The electronic glasses used in this study combine vision correction and occlusion, using lenses that fit a child’s vision prescription. Since the lenses are liquid crystal display, or LCD, they can also be programmed to turn opaque, occluding vision in the left or right eye for different time intervals, acting like a digital patch that flickers on and off.

Researchers at the Glick Eye Institute at Indiana University recently tested the effectiveness of occlusion glasses, called Amblyz, compared to patching in a randomized clinical study. The team recruited 33 subjects with lazy eye between age 3 and 8 years old, who wore eyeglasses to correct their vision.

One group was made to wear an adhesive patch for two hours daily, while the other wore Amblyz occlusion glasses for four hours daily. After three months, both groups of children showed the same amount of improvement in the lazy eye, gaining two lines on a reading chart.

“With these electronic occlusion glasses, the child learns that the lens will be clear again in just a few seconds so they may be more cooperative with the treatment. For parents who have struggled with drops and patching, this could be a great alternative,” said Dr. Daniel Neely, a pediatric ophthalmology professor at Indiana University who led the study.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Amblyz occlusion glasses as a medical device. They are currently available in the U.S. from eye care professionals for around US$450 (AU$632).

Lazy eye, or amblyopia, refers to decreased vision that results from abnormal visual development in infancy and early childhood. While the condition usually affects only one eye, it can also affect both eyes. Lazy eye is the leading cause of decreased vision among children, and if left untreated, vision loss may range from mild to severe.

Lazy eye develops when nerve pathways between the brain and the eye aren't properly stimulated. As a result, the brain favors one eye, usually due to poor vision in the other eye. The weaker eye tends to wander. Eventually, the brain may ignore the signals received from the weaker eye.

Doctors usually correct lazy eye with eye patches, eyedrops, and glasses or contact lenses. However, an August 2015 study published in Elsevier found that one in four kids feel anxiety before using eye drops. Nearly 15 percent refuse to take eye drops at all. On the other hand, adults who underwent childhood treatment for amblyopia say wearing a patch was the worst thing ever, Neely notes.

The new electronic glasses could address these issues, offering the first digital therapy for childhood amblyopia in 50 years.

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