The presentation of children with amblyopia

Abstract

SUMMARYThis study reports the presentation of 961 children who underwent amblyopia treatment at seven orthoptic centres in the United Kingdom. We confirmed previous authors' findings of a small but significant increased inci dence of left-sided compared with right-sided amblyopia overall. For pure anisometropic amblyopia this differ ence was very marked and a possible pathophysiological mechanism is proposed. The mean age of presentation for anismetropic, strabismic and mixed amblyopia was 5.6, 3.3 and 4.4 years, respectively. Neither sex nor race affected the age of presentation. Despite their older age, children with pure anisometropic amblyopia had the best initial visual acuity, with 25 % of anisometropes having an initial visual acuity of less than 6/18 compared with 39% of strabismics and 50% of mixed amblyopes. Categorical data were analysed using the chi-squared (X 2 ) test. Proportions were analysed using the Normal approxi mation to the Binomial distribution. Continuous data were analysed with regression analysis using SAS7• RESULTSOverall, 535 children had strabismic amblyopia (55%), 164 had pure anisometropic amblyopia (17%) and 262 had mixed anisometropic and strabismic amblyopia (27%) (Table I). There was a wide range in the proportion of patients with each type of amblyopia at the different centres (X 2 = 21.1,p = 0.05), with only 7% of the patients presenting with anisometropic amblyopia at centre B compared with 24% at centre C (Table I). Left anisometropic amblyopia was more common (lOS cases) than right anisometropic amblyopia (59 cases). For pure anisometropia this was so at each centre studied and was highly significant (p = 0.0003). For mixed aniso metropic and strabismic amblyopia there was a less marked but still significant preponderance of left amblyo pia (115 right, 147 left; p = 0.(48), while for pure strabis mic amblyopia there was no significant difference (252 right, 283 left; p = 0. 18).The mean age of first attending the orthoptic depart ment for strabismic amblyopia was 3.3 years. Mixed stra bismic and anisometropic amblyopia presented over 1 year later at 4.4 years. Pure anisometropes presented latest

Prevalence of amblyopia and patterns of refractive error in the amblyopic children of a tertiary eye care center of Nepal

“…Similar findings have been reported in other studies as well (Repka et al, 2010;Woodruff et al, 1994). However, no clear explanation could be given to justify this unique laterality.…”

Anisometropia Magnitude and Amblyopia Depth in Previously Untreated Unilateral Amblyopia Patients

“…Anisometropic amblyopic patients apply to the hospital earlier than that of strabismic and mixed amblyopic children. Neither sex nor race affects the age of presentation according to them [10]. In the present study, the mean presentation age of the anisometropic children was 13.7 years old and the median age was 14 years old in the 5 -18 age group which was even older than the previous studies.…”

“…OALib Journal was bigger than that of Woodruff et al [10]. We speculated this to the health care insufficiency of the city, which is in a geographically and socioeconomically difficult area.…”

“…According to Woodruff et al [10] the children with anisometropic amblyopia are typically diagnosed later in comparison to other types of amblyopia because they lack of noticeable abnormalities in contrast to children with strabismus who are easily recognized. Anisometropic amblyopic patients apply to the hospital earlier than that of strabismic and mixed amblyopic children.…”

Relationship Between Anisometropia, Patient Age, and the Development of Amblyopia

“…Only 15% of anisometropic amblyopia was identified prior to the age of 5 years during a 4-year study in Leicestershire. 44 Woodruff and associates 45 found that the age of presentation for patients with anisometropic amblyopia (5.6 years) was much greater than that for patients with other types of amblyopia. Chua and colleagues 46 found that patients with pure anisometropic amblyopia were identified the latest of all patients with amblyopia.…”