Strabismic amblyopia: compliance with occlusion treatment in a tertiary hospital in Midwestern Brazil

Abstract Purpose: Study aimed to determine compliance of patients with strabismic amblyopia undergoing occlusion treatment, followed from January 1 st, 2011 to January 1 st, 2017 at an Ophthalmology Reference Center, and identify risk factors for poor compliance. Methods: Retrospective, consecutive cohort study. Compliance reported at each visit was related to visual acuity, family history, changes in occlusion schedules and in patients’ care team during treatment. The patients were divided into two groups according to the compliance: poor compliance group and compliance group (subdivided in full compliance subgroup and partial compliance subgroup). Results: Age at treatment beginning vary from 3.7 to 13.7 years, esotropia was the most frequent deviation and the occlusion was realized from 5 to 7 hours a day. Of 220 patients, compliance was achieved by 193 (87.7%), 114 (51.8%) in full compliance subgroup and 79 (35.9%) in partial compliance subgroup, and 27 do not achieved compliance (12.3%). Poor compliance was significantly related to a history of epilepsy, higher rate of suspension of treatment due to inefficacy, higher evasion rate, lower recurrence, and lower rate of maintenance of prophylactic occlusion after treatment. Good compliance was related to family history of strabismus, higher recurrence rate, and higher maintenance of prophylactic occlusion after treatment. No relations were found between poor compliance and changes in occlusion schedules or in patients’ care team during treatment. Conclusion: Compliance with occlusion treatment of strabismic ambliopia was similar to other studies that included refractive and strabismic amblyopia and not related to changes in occlusion schedules or in patients’ care team during treatment. Family history of strabismus was a protective factor.