Welcome to patchingsupport.com! My name is Juliana. If you are reading this you may have had personal experience with a patch or you may be wearing one for the first time. Either way having mixed emotions or feeling upset about patching is fine. On one hand your eyes will hopefully get better (yay!). On the other hand you probably don’t want to patch which is also normal. But let me tell you having worn a patch for a long time: Do not try and get out of wearing your patch!! It can be uncomfortable, but your eye doctors prescribe patching for a reason and the results will probably be better if you wear it.
What is amblyopia?
According to American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (a.a.p.o.s.) amblyopia is “when one or both eyes don’t see well even with glasses. It happens when something affects how the vision develops in childhood” (see the link below for more information).
Different types of patches
There are two types of patches. One sticks to the skin underneath your glasses, the other slides over your glasses The one that sticks to your skin can be a bit itchy and uncomfortable, but also covers your eye better.
Some fun things to do to get your mind off your patch
- listening to audiobook
- moving around or going to a gym
- playing sports
- if you are comfortable and can still learn, go to school (if you can see virtually nothing while wearing your patch this is not a good idea and the two above this probably aren’t either)
- doing art or just scribbling
- if you find cleaning fun, go ahead and do that, if you don’t- totally understandable
- have someone in your family read out-loud to you
- organize something or give your room a makeover
- study for an upcoming test
Links
How long do I have to patch daily?
It depends on your eyesight. How long you have to patch could range from one hour to all day
Which patch helps you quicker?
The patch that slides on over your glasses can be easier to “cheat” (pull it off, then put it back on really quickly) with which doesn’t help your eyes and you can’t really do with a patch that sticks on your skin, but if you are not cheating while patching, they both do the same thing.