• 3377
  • 6
  • 6
  • 0
  • Help Ukraine

Mom makes creative eye patches for her daughter with amblyopia

Shared by Ana Ribeiro on 2020-07-29 21:21

About the solution

Cathy Thompson’s daughter, Mackenzie, was diagnosed with amblyopia (“lazy eye”) at the age of 3, and was required to wear an eye-patch to correct her condition. However, Cathy found it very challenging to motivate her daughter to wear the eye patch, which she had to wear “all day, every day”. Cathy found that the design of the available eye patches was not very appealing and did not help to encourage her daughter to wear them.

“"At the time, the only eye patches available were the beige stick-on style or the old black 'pirate' eye patches. When she wore her stick-on eye patch, strangers would think she had injured her eye and were constantly asking her what was wrong with it. She was embarrassed and self conscious, so I set out to design an eye patch that would make her eye patching time more comfortable and fun", Cathy Thompson explains.

The first eye-patch she made was decorated with a kitten design and was attached over Mackenzie’s glasses, making it more comfortable. It was a success, Mackenzie loved it, so Thompson began making more and selling them at a local eye doctor’s office. As the interest grew, Cathy started selling them online and has since created Patch Pals. Patch Pals eye patched are approved by ophthalmologists and optometrists for treatment of lazy eye, amblyopia, strabismus and post eye surgeries.

Nowadays, Patch Pals offers designer cloth patches for children, adults and babies. Moreover, applying her B.A. in Psychology and her experience as an elementary school teacher, Cathy created the Patch Pals Club, to help children connect with other kids that wear eye patches. There is also a section with resources to provide support for parents to help their kids through this journey.

Adapted from: https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna166441

More information: https://patchpals.com/

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

In 1997, Cathy Thompson’s daughter, Mackenzie, was diagnosed with amblyopia (“lazy eye”) at the age of 3, and was required to wear an eye-patch to correct her condition, which proved to be very challenging. To encourage her daughter and other children to wear the patches, she created Patch Pals, selling comfortable and creative patches.

Like solution
Close en
Close