Benefits of Covering the Healthy Eye  

There are countless benefits to covering the healthy eye, and eye patches can be used to treat different types of eye conditions. They have been successfully used for centuries to manage reduced vision. Childhood conditions such as amblyopia and strabismus have long been treated by having the child wear an eye patch for a few hours a day.  

For adults, wearing an eye patch for a few days to protect the eye after certain surgical procedures can be helpful. However, self-treating an eye problem such as eye strain with an eye patch, or covering one eye to avoid double vision, will not help your eyes in the long run. While you are unlikely to damage the vision in your dominant eye, you may be delaying important medical treatment for an underlying vision problem.  

Read also: The Best Vision Testing Devices – Tools Eye Doctors Use to Examine the Eyes  

Common Reasons for Wearing an Eye Patch  

How Do Eye Patches Affect Vision?  

Using Patches to Improve Vision or Protect the Eye – Benefits of Covering the Healthy Eye  

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)  

Strabismus (Eye Misalignment)  

After Surgery  

How to Make an Eye Patch More Comfortable  

Wearing an eye patch isn’t always easy, and it often feels uncomfortable at first, especially for children. The skin around the eye can be sensitive to the adhesive on the patch, and the eye cover itself may irritate the area. Once you make wearing the patch more comfortable, it becomes much easier to help your child stick to the prescribed number of hours each day.  

This treatment works more quickly when the patching schedule is followed accurately. Fortunately, there are ways to make the process easier and long-term use more comfortable. Some of the most practical ways to reduce the common discomfort associated with eye patches include: