Research starts to help lazy eye patients

Amblyopia, more commonly known as a “lazy eye”, is a childhood condition which affects 1 in 50 children in the UK.

It occurs when a child’s vision, in one or both eyes, doesn’t develop properly.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic social distancing measures in March 2020, almost 5,000 “routine” appointments have been cancelled in Southampton alone. Patients with common but manageable conditions such as lazy eye are likely to be affected the most.

Thanks to your donations, we have been able to fund new research to allow our Southampton Children’s Hospital clinicians to monitor children’s sight at home. The Children’s Eye Examination and Testing At Home (CHEETAH) study would initially benefit 300 children over the course of the three year study across Hampshire and potentially have a global impact.

We’ve already recruited our first patients, so we will share the results as soon as we can. This has the potential to be a real game changer!

Updated: 07/08/2020