Occlusion Therapy and School
Does your child have to wear a patch at school? Here are some tips to help with patching during class time.
Sometimes amblyopia (“lazy eye”) may not be diagnosed until a child is already in kindergarten or grade school. Some parents may then worry: Can we patch during class time? Can my child still follow the lessons if the better-seeing eye is covered? How are we supposed to stick to the required patching time at home if our child attends a full-day of school?
Patching at School
While patching can usually be easily integrated into the day-to-day routine at daycare or preschool, many families face challenges when their child starts grade school. The daily routine is more structured and requires children to focus for longer periods. Most importantly, they must be able to see the subject matter and writing clearly on the board, in books and on screens.
At the beginning of treatment, children often still perceive a patch as a visual impairment, so it may be advisable to avoid patching during class time. This is also true if the visual acuity of the weaker eye is below the visual acuity that a child needs to recognize letters and numbers. If you patch over the stronger eye during class time in this case, there is a risk that the vision of the weaker eye will not be sufficient to see what is on the board, books, or on screens.
Individual Solutions
There is always a way to patch for the required daily amount of time without affecting a child's academic performance. It’s helpful to work together with both your child’s ophthalmologist and teachers to find an individual solution that fits in with your child's everyday life. Such a solution depends on various factors: How bad is your child’s vision? For how long and for how many hours a day should the eye patch be worn? How comfortable is your child with the eye patches and how self-confident is he or she? Does your child go to a full or half-day of school and is he or she at home in the afternoon? Is there free time during class when the child can put the patches on? How open-minded is the teacher?
Parents should always turn to their eye doctor first with their questions and concerns. Your ophthalmologist or orthoptist will have the necessary experience to suggest different patching strategies and give advice on how to ensure that the required patching time is adhered to for a school-age child. In addition to your ophthalmologist, speak to your class teacher about finding patching solutions for the school day.
The most important thing is having conversations and mutual feedback between all those involved. This way everyone can work together to find the right solution for your child.
Patching Strategies at School
If your child attends school for a half-day, four hours of occlusion time per day can most easily be accommodated in the afternoon. The patch is worn at home while doing homework or playing. If your child is in school for the full day, after consulting with the teachers, the patch can be worn during lessons in which visual impairment is less of a concern. Depending on your child’s vision, that may be possible while painting, doing crafts or during free work. If your child goes to after-school care, depending on the activities conducted there, your child may be able to patch during that time.
Support for occlusion therapy
The most important thing to keep in mind is that if your child has amblyopia, the weaker eye must be challenged and supported. If amblyopia is not treated, it may lead to permanent vision problems that can’t be corrected in adulthood. The success of the treatment largely depends on patching consistently. You can do it!
Please also check out our helpful motivational tips for everyday life and for children who struggle with patching. We also offer ORTOPAD® motivational posters on ortopadusa.com and regularly post motivational articles on Facebook and Instagram for our brave patching heroes.