Patching carried out during the sensitive period is thought by clinicians to be an effective treatment for amblyopia.1 2Success rates of patching vary but one study has reported success rates of 90% of patients improving to 6/12 or better within 3 months.3 Parents not uncommonly report difficulty in persuading their children to wear a patch.4 Inpatient treatment by supporting the parents and encouraging the children frequently achieves success.

A recent systematic review5 was unable to find any randomised controlled trials of treatment of amblyopia and concluded that there was no evidence …