Use of Eye Patches With Diplopia

Diplopia is a condition that is commonly referred to as double vision. This is distinct from blurred vision. Those with blurred vision see a blurred image of a picture. Those with diplopia see two images of the same object. This is a difficult condition, since it creates problems in day-to-day living. A person may want to approach a simple object such as a letter in a keyboard, but may end up using an adjacent one. This happens to almost every object the person sees.

Types of Diplopia

• To comprehend the usefulness of eye patch (a simple cloth covering for the eye) in treating diplopia, it is necessary to understand the types of diplopia. There are two subsets of this condition. One is called binocular double vision or binocular diplopia and the other is called monocular diplopia.

  The first of these conditions occurs when a person suffering the problem has double vision only when both eyes are open. This means that the person ceases to have a problem when one of the eyes is closed. The eye patch is useful in these situations because it helps you focus on objects, and closing one of the eyes with an eye patch enables you to have focused, single vision with one eye.

  The other condition, monocular diplopia occurs when double vision is present when both eyes are open as in binocular diplopia, but is still there when the eye that is normal is shut. In such cases, an eye patch is of little use. Other treatment options such as surgery and non-surgical methods like eye exercises; vision therapy and orthoptics will have to be used instead.

Wearing the Eye Patch

• It is important to note that in many cases, diplopia corrects itself over time. This is especially true in children who have this problem early in their life, such as in the years just before the onset of adolescence. Wearing an eye patch on the affected eye is often the best solution to these situations as your other eye functions properly. When you outgrow the condition, the eye patch can be removed and both eyes will be normal.

Other Concerns

• Although some recommend wearing the eye patch on the affected eye, others embrace the theory that when the eye that is normal is shut, the other mends itself as it is forced to focus itself. It is not clear whether this second alternative is actually successful in the majority of cases, but it is applied in many cases of diplopia nevertheless.

  In most cases, an eye patch is only a stop-gap solution if you are diagnosed with monocular diplopia. It is a method that can be tried out to help you focus, and cannot be expected to solve the problem. In these situations, it may be used as an interim adjustment you can make before having to undergo other treatments.