Eye Patching for Amblyopia

These instructions are for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia patients who are prescribed an eye patch to treat amblyopia, or lazy eye.

Important information:

Amblyopia is a common eye condition where one eye is stronger than the other. Without treatment, eyesight will be reduced. Your team has prescribed an eye patch. Eye patching will help to strengthen your child's weaker eye and help both eyes to work better together.

Patient instructions:

• The patch will be placed on the stronger eye. Your healthcare provider will tell you which eye to patch and how long to wear the patch.

• Patch the eye while your child is awake and active. Your child may wear the patch for the hours prescribed all at once or broken into two or more sessions throughout the day.

• Apply the patch to your child's eye so that the entire eye is covered and your child cannot peek.

• Use a new patch each time. There are many types of patches available on the internet and at some local pharmacies. The "sticky" patch is preferred because it does not allow peeking.

• If your child resists putting the patch on, you may place it on while they are asleep so they wake up with it. Do not count the time the patch was worn while asleep. Begin at the time they wake.

• Keep your child busy with coloring, games and other activities that encourage them to use their unpatched eye.

• Try to make this a fun experience but remember that this treatment is necessary for your child's vision.

Tips for reducing skin irritation:

• If using a sticky patch, touch it to a clean cloth before applying it to your child. This may reduce some of the stickiness.

• Dip your finger into non-flavored milk of magnesia and place it around the skin which will be covered by the patch. Allow it to dry before applying the patch.

If your child has a reaction, such as serious skin irritation, from the sticky patch contact your healthcare team.

Division of Ophthalmology

Reviewed on April 1, 2023, by Ivy Kuhn, MSN, CRNP; Machelle Woolston, MSN, MHA, CPN, RN