Q: My 4 years old son has a lazy right eye with the power of +2.00/-3.0 x 180 and the power of the left eye is +0.5/-2.00 x 170. The doctor has recommended patching for him. How many times a day do we have to do this? Will this help improve his sight too?

A:Your son seems to have lazy eye or amblyopia in the right eye. However, you have not mentioned his vision in both the eyes, which helps us to decide the severity of the amblyopia, which is based on the difference in the visual acuity between the 2 eyes. The severity of amblyopia acts as a guide to the amount of occlusion required. Patching is the best treatment and should be done in conjunction with wearing the right power of glasses. Depending on the vision, we would recommend maximum patching possible during his waking hours and during the time the patch is on, the child should be encouraged to perform near vision activities and anything that makes him use his eyes actively. The better eye should be patched to 'force' the lazy eye to focus and develop its maximum visual potential. It is important that you follow the patching regimen diligently as after a few years, the eye may not respond to patching. Please follow the instructions of your paediatric eye specialist carefully and follow up regularly for best improvement in the eyesight of your child.