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Visual acuity deficits in the fellow eyes of children with unilateral amblyopia
Srinivasa Varadharajan1, Jameel Rizwana Hussaindeen
1Srimathi Sundari Subramanian Department of Visual Psychophysics, Elite School of Optometry, Unit of Medical Research Foundation, 8, G. S. T. Road, St. Thomas Mount, Chennai - 600 016, India. drlsv@snmail.org
Insights
Children with unilateral amblyopia have reduced visual acuity in their fellow eyes, which matures slower than in healthy children. Patching treatment improved acuity but carried a risk of temporary occlusion amblyopia.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Vision Science
Background:
- Unilateral amblyopia, or "lazy eye," affects one eye and can impact visual development.
- The fellow eye's visual acuity and maturation in amblyopic children are not fully understood.
- Patching therapy is a common treatment for amblyopia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate visual acuity deficits and maturation patterns in the fellow eyes of children with unilateral amblyopia undergoing patching treatment.
- To compare the visual development of the fellow eye in amblyopic children to age-matched healthy controls.
- To assess the impact of patching on visual acuity in both amblyopic and fellow eyes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 112 children (aged 4-13) diagnosed with unilateral amblyopia.
- Comparison of baseline fellow eye visual acuity with age-matched healthy controls.
- Analysis of visual acuity changes in both amblyopic and fellow eyes during follow-up visits.
Main Results:
- Fellow eye visual acuity was significantly reduced compared to controls up to age 8.
- Maturation of visual acuity in the fellow eye was delayed, reaching 20/20 by age 9 versus age 5 in controls.
- While fellow eye acuity improved with patching, 21% developed temporary occlusion amblyopia; full-time patching offered no advantage over part-time.
Conclusions:
- Children with unilateral amblyopia exhibit baseline visual acuity deficits and slower visual maturation in their fellow eyes.
- The risk of developing temporary occlusion amblyopia in the fellow eye during treatment is consistent with previous findings.
- These findings highlight the importance of monitoring the fellow eye's visual development during amblyopia treatment.
Purpose:
To study the visual acuity deficits and maturation in the fellow eyes of children with unilateral amblyopia who were treated with patching.
Methods:
Medical records of patients aged 4-13 years visiting a tertiary eye care center between January 2003 and December 2007 who were diagnosed for the first time with unilateral amblyopia were reviewed. Subjects included in the study were followed through April 2009. The baseline visual acuity in the fellow eye of amblyopic subjects was compared with that of age-matched healthy subjects. Changes in visual acuity in the amblyopic and fellow eyes during subsequent visits were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 112 children with amblyopia were included (strabismic, 14; anisometropic, 51; combined mechanism, 47). Baseline visual acuity in the fellow eye of these children differed significantly from that of age-matched controls up to 8 years of age. Average logMAR acuity reached 0.0 at age 5 years in controls versus age 9 years in patients. Although the mean visual acuity of the fellow eyes improved during treatment, 21% developed temporary occlusion amblyopia. Full-time patching had no additional benefit when compared with part-time patching.
Conclusions:
Visual acuity in the fellow eye of children with unilateral amblyopia is reduced at baseline and matures more slowly than in healthy control patients. The risk for temporary occlusion amblyopia in the fellow eye is similar what has been previously reported.
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