[Value of functional and electrophysiological studies in amblyopia]

In a group of patients suffering from amblyopia, the authors confront the results after orthoptic treatment with data provided by functional and electrophysiological examination. In 37 patients the clinical diagnosis of functional amblyopia had been made, but in 8 of these cases complimentary functional and electrophysiological examinations showed organic perturbations. This explains the failure, in these cases, of the orthoptic treatment. In the remaining 29 patients, clinical forms of functional amblyopia were found. In this group, the authors studied 20 cases showing no improvement with treatment: in 15 out of the 20 the VERs were pathological. In the 9 remaining cases which have showed improvement the VER'S were never abnormal. VER study can be undertaken, without general anaesthesia, as from 3 to 4 years of age. The authors conclude that all clinical forms of amblyopia should undergo VER investigation: patients showing pathological changes should be excluded from orthoptic treatment, from which they have no possibility of deriving benefit.