Feasibility of monitoring compliance with intermittent occlusion therapy glasses for amblyopia treatment

Background: Liquid crystal glasses use an intermittent occlusion technique and may improve compliance compared to adhesive patches. Previous studies support the effectiveness of intermittent occlusion therapy (IO therapy) glasses for amblyopia treatment. However, objective compliance for these glasses has not been measured. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a microsensor to monitor objective compliance with IO therapy glasses.

Methods: Children 3 to ≤8 years of age with unilateral amblyopia were enrolled. All subjects had optimal refractive correction (if needed) for at least 5 weeks without improvement. Subjects were prescribed IO therapy glasses, set at 30-second opaque/transparent intervals (ie, occluded 50% of wear time). Wear time was prescribed according to amblyopia severity. For each patient, objective compliance with the IO therapy glasses was monitored by means of a microsensor.

Results: A total of 13 subjects returned with microsensor data. Compliance varied among and within individuals. General compliance averaged 51.6% (range, 10%-97%). Mean daily compliance decreased slightly over time. On average, patients' visual acuity improved 0.14 ± 0.15 logMAR (range, -0.1 to 0.5 logMAR). No parents reported that their child had social concerns related to the attached microsensor.

Conclusions: Objective compliance with IO therapy glasses can be monitored by a simple microsensor reliably. In our study cohort, objective compliance with IO therapy glasses varied among individuals, but on average it declined slightly over time.