Profile of amblyopia in a hospital referral practice.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the clinical profile and distribution of different sub-types of amblyopia in a referral eye hospital in India. METHODS: This was a prospective hospital-based observational study, evaluating the clinical profile of patients with amblyopia presenting to a referral strabismology practice. The examination included assessment of the visual acuity, the refractive status, the fixation pattern, the grade of binocularity, and evaluation of the associated strabismus, if any before treatment was started. RESULTS: The average age of the patients at presentation was 7.97?6.18 years with 81 out of 683 patients (11.8%) presenting above the age of 20 years. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was less than 6/60 in the amblyopic eye in 121 out of 733 eyes (16.5%). Strabismic amblyopia was the most common sub-type of amblyopia seen (274/733 eyes, 37.38%). Though patients with anisometropic amblyopia presented at a later age (average of 10.03+/-6.92 years), they had better visual acuity, binocular functions, and centricity of fixation at all ages, relative to other sub-types of amblyopia. The BCVA did not show any co-relation with the age of presentation [co-relation co-efficient (CF) of 0.074], refractive status of the amblyopic eye (CF of 0.078), the type of amblyopia (CF of 0.196), or the type of strabismus present (CF of 0.079). However, a very significant co-relation was seen between the BCVA and the fixation pattern of the amblyopic eye (CF of 0.817). CONCLUSIONS: Lack of knowledge and awareness about amblyopia and its appropriate timely management has been the main cause for the late presentations and significant visual impairment associated with the condition.