Improvement of amblyopia after injury of the fellow eye

Background : It is assumed that visual function develops until the age of 8 years and that treatment for amblyopia ought to be started before this age. Purpose : To report a case in whom amblyopia in the right eye improved after injury to the left eye. Case : A 11-year-old boy presented with rupture of the left eye due to injury by a fishing hook. Corrected visual acuity was 0.7 right and 0.4 left after treatment. He was seen at the age of 20 years because of exotropia and diplopia. Corrected visual acuity was 0.8 right and 0.3 left. He had exotropia by 35Δ. Stereoscopy was absent after prismatic correction of eye position. Corrected visual acuity improved to 0.9 right and 0.4 left after recession of lateral rectus of the left eye. Stereoscopy was imperfectly present. Conclusion : Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye improved after 11 years of age. Stereoscopic perception after strabismus surgery may have been present before injury to the fellow eye.