The Barnet Orthoptics team help children celebrate the impact of the patch 

This week Barnet’s Orthoptics team threw the annual ‘patch party’ for children receiving treatment for amblyopia (a condition in which one eye cannot focus as clearly as the other) which included balloon modelling, face painting, games and a visit from Father Christmas.

Treatment for amblyopia involves wearing glasses and a patch on the non-affected eye for a few hours each day (occlusion therapy). The annual patch party brings together children who wear a patch to help them understand that they are not the only ones to experience this condition and recognise the impact that the treatment has had on their quality of vision and improve compliance with treatment. It also provided a platform for parents with children undergoing treatment to speak to other families to share tips and tricks to improve adherence to patch-wearing. 

The children had a brilliant time playing with their fellow patch-wearers and the parents shared their gratitude for the celebration and support in treating their child’s vision.

Fiona Winters, mother of a child receiving treatment for amblyopia said:

“It was superb. A brilliant experience for parents and children alike – celebrating something that is significant and unique, but not to them.

“My child said it was great to celebrate looking after our eyes together.”