Dichoptic treatment for amblyopia in young children
Official title: A Randomized Trial of Dichoptic Treatment for Amblyopia in Children 4 to 7 Years of Age
Run by Jaeb Center for Health Research · NCT06380517 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new headset treatment for lazy eye in kids aged 4 to 7 to see if it works better than the usual patching method.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 3 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 4 Years to 7 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 238 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Jaeb Center for Health Research Academic / other |
| Locations | 73 sites (Birmingham, Alabama and 72 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 11, 2024 |
| Main results expected | March 1, 2028 |
| Study ends | August 1, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | November 2, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06380517 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are children aged 4 to 7 years with amblyopia and a significant interocular difference in visual acuity.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with amblyopia who do not meet the specified visual acuity criteria or have other ocular conditions may not benefit from this study.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of a novel dichoptic treatment using the Luminopia headset compared to traditional patching therapy for amblyopia in children aged 4 to 7. Participants will be randomly assigned to either watch dichoptic movies for 1 hour a day or undergo patching treatment for 2 hours a day over a 26-week period. The primary outcome will assess changes in visual acuity in the amblyopic eye, with follow-up assessments at 13 and 26 weeks. If patching treatment is ineffective, participants will be offered the dichoptic therapy for further evaluation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could provide a more engaging and effective alternative to traditional patching for children with amblyopia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown promise in using dichoptic treatments for amblyopia, suggesting potential for success in this approach.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
At the time of enrollment, individuals must meet all the following inclusion criteria to be eligible to participate in the study.
1. Age 4 to 7 years.
2. Visual acuity, measured in each eye without cycloplegia in current refractive correction (if applicable) using the ATS-HOTV VA protocol on a study-approved device displaying single surrounded optotypes, as follows:
1. VA in the amblyopic eye 20/40 to 20/200 inclusive.
2. Age-normal VA in the fellow eye:44,45
• 4 years: 20/40 or better; 5-6 years: 20/32 or better; 7 years: 20/25 or better
3. Interocular difference ≥ 3 logMAR lines (i.e., amblyopic eye VA at least 3 logMAR lines worse than fellow eye VA).
3. Amblyopia associated with strabismus, anisometropia, or both (previously treated or untreated).
1. Criteria for strabismic amblyopia: At least one of the following must be met:
* Presence of a heterotropia on examination at distance or near fixation (with optical correction), must be \<=5 prism diopters (∆) by SPCT at distance and near fixation (see #7 below).
* Documented history of strabismus which is no longer present (which in the judgment of the investigator could have caused amblyopia).
2. Criteria for anisometropia: At least one of the following criteria must be met:
* ≥1.00 D difference between eyes in spherical equivalent (SE).
* ≥1.50 D difference in astigmatism between corresponding meridians in the two eyes.
3. Criteria for combined-mechanism: Both of the following criteria must be met:
* A criterion for strabismus is met (see above).
* ≥1.00 D difference between eyes in spherical equivalent OR ≥1.50 D difference in astigmatism between corresponding meridians in the two eyes.
4. No more than 2 weeks (cumulative) of prior dichoptic treatment.
5. No treatment with cycloplegic eyedrops (e.g., atropine) in the past 2 weeks; other treatments allowed up to enrollment but then must be discontinued.
6. Refractive correction is required (single vision lenses or contact lenses) for any of the following refractive errors based on a cycloplegic refraction completed within the last 7 months:
* Hypermetropia of 2.50 D or more by SE
* Myopia of amblyopic eye of 0.50D or more SE
* Astigmatism of 1.00D or more
* Anisometropia of more than 0.50D SE
NOTE: Monocular or binocular contact lens wear is allowed provided the contact lenses meet the refractive error correction requirements below. For each child, all testing must be performed using the same form of optical correction (i.e., no changing between contacts and spectacles).
1. Spectacles/contact lens correction prescribing instructions referenced to the cycloplegic refraction completed within the last 7 months:
* SE must be within 0.50D of fully correcting the anisometropia (if new glasses are prescribed, reduction in plus sphere must be symmetric in the two eyes).
* SE must not be under corrected by more than 1.50D SE.
* Cylinder power in both eyes must be within 0.50D of fully correcting the astigmatism.
* Axis must be within +/- 10 degrees if cylinder power is ≤1.00D, and within +/- 5 degrees if cylinder power is \>1.00D.
* Myopia must not be under corrected by more than 0.25D or over corrected by more than 0.50D SE, and any change must be symmetrical in the two eyes.
2. Spectacles/contact lens correction (with or without other treatment such as patching) meeting the above criteria must be worn:
* For at least 18 weeks OR until VA stability is documented (defined as \<0.1 logMAR change by the same testing method measured on 2 consecutive exams at least 9 weeks apart).
* For determining VA stability (non-improvement):
* The first of two measurements may be made 1) in current correction, or 2) in trial frames with or without cycloplegia or 3) without correction (if new correction is prescribed),
* The second measurement must be made without cycloplegia in the correct spectacles/contact lens correction that has been worn for at least 9 weeks.
* NOTE: Because this determination is a pre-randomization, the method of measuring VA is not mandated.
7. Participant is willing to wear the Luminopia headset.
8. Participant is willing to continue full-time spectacles/contact lens wear (if needed).
9. Participant is willing to accept assignment to either dichoptic shows (view 1 hour per day 6 days per week) OR part-time patching (2 hours per day 7 days per week) for 26 weeks.
10. Interpupillary distance of 52mm to 72mm inclusive.
11. Investigator is willing to prescribe Luminopia or patching per protocol.
12. Parent understands the protocol and is willing to accept randomization.
13. Parent has phone (or access to phone) and is willing to be contacted by JAEB Center.
14. Relocation outside area of active PEDIG site within the next 52 weeks is not anticipated.
Individuals meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded from study participation.
1. Heterotropia more than 5∆ at distance or near (measured by SPCT in current correction)
2. Prism lenses or need of a prism prescription at enrollment.
3. Current bifocal spectacles (eligible only if bifocal discontinued 2 weeks prior to enrollment).
4. Myopia greater than -6.00D spherical equivalent in either eye.
5. Previous intraocular or refractive surgery.
6. Known skin reactions to patch or bandage adhesives.
7. Ocular co-morbidity that may reduce VA determined by an ocular examination performed within the past 7 months (Note: nystagmus per se does not exclude the participant if the above visual acuity criteria are met using patch occlusion. Fogging is not permitted).
8. Diplopia more than once per week over the last week prior to enrollment by parental report.
9. History of light-induced seizures.
10. Severe developmental delay that would interfere with treatment or evaluation (in the opinion of the investigator). Participants with mild speech delay or reading and/or learning disabilities are not excluded.
11. Participation in a prior study involving patching for amblyopia
12. Immediate family member (biological or legal guardian, child, sibling, parent) of investigative site personnel directly affiliated with this study or an employee of the JAEB center for Health Research.
Where it's running
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UAB Pediatric Eye Care; Birmingham Health Care
Birmingham, Alabama, United States Recruiting -
Midwestern University Eye Institute
Glendale, Arizona, United States Recruiting -
Phoenix Children's Medical Group - Ophthalmology
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States Recruiting -
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona, United States Recruiting -
Arkansas Childrens
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States Recruiting -
McFarland Eye Care Center
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States Recruiting
Show 44 more locations
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Univ. of California- Berkeley
Berkeley, California, United States Recruiting -
Southern California College of Optometry
Fullerton, California, United States Recruiting -
Univ of California, Irvine- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
Irvine, California, United States Recruiting -
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA)
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California, United States Recruiting -
Western University College of Optometry
Pomona, California, United States Recruiting -
University of California, Davis
Sacramento, California, United States Recruiting -
Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego Dept of Ophthalmology
San Diego, California, United States Recruiting -
University of California San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology
San Francisco, California, United States Recruiting -
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
University of South Florida (USF) Eye
Tampa, Florida, United States Recruiting -
The Emory Eye Center
Atlanta, Georgia, United States Recruiting -
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Illinois College of Optometry
Chicago, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Midwestern University Eye Institute
Downers Grove, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Progressive Eye Care
Lisle, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Indiana School of Optometry
Bloomington, Indiana, United States Recruiting -
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States Recruiting -
University of Kansas Dept of Ophthalmology
Prairie Village, Kansas, United States Recruiting -
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting -
Wilmer Eye Institute
Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting -
Specialized Pediatric Eye Care
Beverly, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting -
New England College of Optometry
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting -
Boston Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting -
Boston Children's Hospital Waltham
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting -
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State Univ
Big Rapids, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Corewell Health
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Pediatric Ophthalmology, P.C.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Children's Eye Care PC
West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States Recruiting -
Zenith Vision Development Center
Duluth, Minnesota, United States Recruiting -
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Recruiting -
Mayo Clinic Department of Ophthalmology
Rochester, Minnesota, United States Recruiting -
PineCone Vision Center
Sartell, Minnesota, United States Recruiting -
Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
Kansas City, Missouri, United States Recruiting -
Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
Kansas City, Missouri, United States Recruiting -
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, Nebraska, United States Recruiting -
Ross Eye Institute, University of Buffalo, Med School Dept Ophthalmology
Buffalo, New York, United States Recruiting -
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States Recruiting -
State University of New York, College of Optometry
New York, New York, United States Recruiting -
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States Recruiting -
Duke University Eye Center
Durham, North Carolina, United States Recruiting -
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States Recruiting
+23 more sites. See ClinicalTrials.gov for the full list.
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Robert Henderson, MS — Jaeb Center for Health Research
- Study coordinator: Raymond T Kraker, MSPH
- Email: rkraker@jaeb.org
- Phone: 813-975-8690
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Psilocybin-assisted therapy to help adults with amblyopia see more clearly
This study tests whether a single or small doses of psilocybin can boost the effectiveness of amblyopia treatment in adults.
-
Augmented Reality Binocular Therapy for Adult Amblyopia
This trial tests a home-based augmented reality binocular therapy to see if it improves vision in adults 18–40 with anisometropic amblyopia, compared with placebo training.
-
Gabor-based visual training for adults with amblyopia
This study tests a computer-based Gabor training program to see if it can improve vision in adults aged 18–39 with amblyopia due to anisometropia or strabismus.
-
Noninvasive brain stimulation plus augmented reality vision therapy for anisometropic amblyopia in adults
This trial tests whether adding HD-tDCS to AR-based dichoptic therapy can improve vision in adults with anisometropic amblyopia.
-
tDCS for paediatric amblyopia
This study tests whether non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS) can improve vision for children aged 4–14 with amblyopia who didn’t get enough help from patching.
-
Gamified visual training with occlusion for kids with anisometropic amblyopia
This trial tests two kid-friendly digital games plus patching to see if they improve vision and motivation in children aged 4–7 with anisometropic amblyopia compared with patching alone.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.