Atropine Treatment For Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) : Paediatric Information For Parents: Pharmacy

Paediatric information for parents: pharmacy
Atropine treatment for

amblyopia (lazy eye)
Amblyopia (pronounced amb-lee-oh- 1. Patch to cover the good eye.
pee- ah) or ‘lazy eye’ develops in If glasses are worn, until your child is
childhood and leads to reduced vision used to wearing the patch, it should be
in one eye. It happens when one eye is placed under their glasses (on the skin)
used less than the other between birth to prevent them peeping. Once your
and seven years of age. This leads the child is used to the patch and their
brain to prefer the better eye and vision has started to improve, the patch
therefore the other eye becomes ‘lazy’. may be worn on their glasses. This
should only be done following orthoptic
Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s): advice.
2. Eye drops (1% atropine sulphate) to
What causes amblyopia? blur the vision in the good eye.
• a turn in the eye (strabismus or The drops need to be used twice a
squint). week- for example on Wednesday and
• a difference in the glasses prescription Sunday. The treatment will continue
between the two eyes. until either the vision in each eye is
• an obstacle blocking the visual equal or if we notice there is no further
stimulation to the eye, such as a droopy improvement in your child’s vision on
eyelid or cataract (cloudy lens). The two consecutive visits.
amblyopia may still continue after the
obstacle has been removed. How do the drops work?
The drops relax the focusing muscles of
Treatment of amblyopia the eye, which blurs vision in the good
Glasses can help your child’s eye during the treatment. The drops
amblyopia and should be worn all the also relax the muscles of the eye
time if prescribed. There are two responsible for dilating (enlarging) the
treatment options for encouraging the pupil (the pupil is the central black area
vision in the weaker eye and both in the middle of the iris which is the
involve temporarily reducing the use of coloured part of the eye –(see figure 1
the good eye: below).
This information can be made available in alternative formats, such as easy read
or large print on request. Please call PALS: 020 7566 2324/ 020 7566 2325 1
treatment. Your child’s eye may also
be more sensitive to light.
If your child has a turn in the eye
(squint) you may notice the squint will
appear in the other eye whilst using
atropine. Do not worry about this, as
Figure 1 when the squint swaps from side to
side it often means the lazy eye is
starting to see better.
Important information:
In rare cases, once the vision has
 Wash and dry your hands before improved in the lazy eye, the
and after giving drops. previously ‘good’ eye may then
 Only place one drop in your child’s become lazy and need treatment.
eye. However, with careful monitoring by
 Inform your child’s school about the orthoptist this is very unlikely to
their use of atropine and enlarged happen.
pupil.
 Store atropine in a safe place out
of the reach and sight of children. As with most medicines, there may be
 Store atropine at room temperature some other side effects when using
(less than 25°C). atropine drops.
 Do not use the drops after the These include mild stinging and
expiry date written on the redness of the eye after putting the
packaging has passed. drops in and an allergic reaction to the
 Do not re-use single dose unit drops (when the eye becomes very red
preparations (“minims”). Use and itchy).
once then throw away. In rare cases, the use of atropine can
lead to increased eye pressure.
What should I tell the pharmacist,
orthoptist or doctor? However, this usually only happens if
Tell the pharmacist, orthoptist or doctor there is already a problem with the
if your child is allergic to any medication health of that eye.
or if your child has any other eye
condition, particularly glaucoma. General side effects not related to
the eye are rare and happen when
What are the side effects of atropine? small amounts of the medicine are
The main side effect caused by using absorbed into the body from the
atropine is blurred vision which can eyes. These include: dry mouth and
last up to two weeks after finishing skin, redness of the cheeks,
irritability and difficulty sleeping, high
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

City Road, London EC1V 2PD
Phone: 020 7253 3411
www.moorfields.nhs.uk 2
temperature, difficulty passing urine, It is therefore very important that you
constipation and an increased follow the instructions given by your
heartbeat. child’s doctor or orthoptist as closely as
To help prevent any medicine being possible.
absorbed into the body from the eyes,
press on the tear ducts on the inner Your child will have regular
side of the eyelids for a minute during appointments whilst being treated. As
and after putting in the drops (see their vision improves, the use of
figure 2). atropine may be changed or replaced
with a patch. This will be done under
the instruction of the orthoptist. We
know that children do not always
understand why they need drops and
therefore treatment at home can be
difficult. Your orthoptist is very
experienced in dealing with children
who have amblyopia and can advise
you about carrying out the treatment as
Figure 2 effectively as possible.
If your child experiences symptoms not If you need to speak to the orthoptist,
listed here that you think are due to the please contact the Moorfields’ service
atropine, stop giving them the drops where your child is being seen:
and contact your pharmacist or doctor.
Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road
Will the treatment cure my child’s Phone: 020 7566 2161 (Monday to
amblyopia? Friday)
Most cases of amblyopia are treatable
but the success of the treatment Moorfields at St George’s
depends on your child’s vision at the Phone: 020 8266 6120 (Monday to
start of treatment, their age and if the Friday)
treatment is used as instructed. It is
important to treat amblyopia as early as Moorfields at Ealing
possible for your child to end up with Phone: 020 8967 5766 (Tuesday and
the best possible vision. Amblyopia is Wednesday, ask for the orthoptist)
best treated before seven years of age Moorfields at Northwick Park
and later attempts to treat might not be Phone: 020 8869 3160 (Tuesday and
successful. Friday, ask for the orthoptist)
If amblyopia is not treated, the vision in
that eye will be permanently damaged. Moorfields at Homerton

Phone: 020 7253 3411
Phone: 020 8510 5018 (Friday, ask for Moorfields Direct telephone helpline
the orthoptist) Phone: 020 7566 2345
Monday-Friday, 8.30am-9pm
Moorfields at Potters Bar Saturday, 9am-5pm
Phone: 01707 653 286 (Wednesday) Information and advice on eye
conditions and treatments from
Moorfields at Bedford experienced ophthalmic-trained nurses.
Phone: 01234 792 290 (Monday to
Friday) Patient advice and liaison service
(PALS)
Moorfields at Croydon Phone: 020 7566 2324/ 020 7566 2325
Phone: 020 8401 3485 (Monday to Email: moorfields.pals@nhs.net
Friday) Moorfields’ PALS team provides
confidential advice and support to help
Moorfields at Darent Valley Hospital you with any concerns you may have
Phone: 01322 428 100 ext. 4646 about the care we provide, guiding you
(Monday and Wednesday) through the different services available
at Moorfields. The PALS team can also
advise you on how to make a complaint.
Stratford Ludwig Guttman Health
Centre
Phone: 0207 253 2020 (Tuesday only) Your right to treatment within 18
weeks
Under the NHS constitution, all patients
Information online: have the right to begin consultant-led
www.orthoptics.org.uk treatment within 18 weeks of being
www.3M.com/uk/opticlude referred by their GP. Moorfields is
committed to fulfilling this right, but if
Author: Kelly MacKenzie (orthoptic department)
Revision number: 2
you feel that we have failed to do so,
Approval date: August please contact our patient advice and
2018 liaison service (PALS) who will be able
Review date: August 2021
to advise you further (see above). For
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS more information about your rights
Foundation Trust under the NHS constitution, visit
City Road, London EC1V 2PD www.nhs.uk/choiceinthenhs
Phone: 020 7253 3411
www.moorfields.nhs.uk

Phone: 020 7253 3411

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Paediatric information for parents: pharmacy

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