Recent advances in the management of amblyopia.

Methods of detection and treatment of amblyopia as a developmental visual defect are reviewed. Traditional occlusion therapy is compared with recent therapy techniques using square-wave grating patterns as stimuli to increase visual sensitivity. Both methods can help manage amblyopia particularly during stages of early visual development. It is found that the grating pattern stimuli are not in themselves therapeutic, but rather it is probably occlusion in combination with demanding visual tasks which help reduce amblyopia.