A retrospective study of treatment efficacy of 65 children with ametroic amblyopia

To investigate relationship between treatment efficacy and the severity of ametropic amblyopia, the type of anisometropia and patient age.

A total of 65 children with ametropic amblyopia undergoing clinical treatment in the ophthalmology department of Shaoguan Hygienic Hospital of Women and Children between June 2005 and November 2011 were enrolled in this study. The treatment efficacy for those subjects with different severities of ametropic amblyopia, types of anisometropia and ages was recorded.

The near-recovery/recovery rate, improvement rate and ineffectiveness rate were 70.8%, 16.9% and 12.3%, respectively. The recovery rates in mild-, moderate- and severe amblyopia groups were 97.1%, 61.1% and 8.3% respectively (P<0.05). The recovery rate for patients with hyperopic-, astigmatic- and myopic anisometropia were 75.8%, 78.3% and 33.3% respectively. The recovery rates did not differ between hyperopic- and astigmatic- anisometropia children (P>0.05), whereas a statistically significant difference was noted between myopic children compared with their hyperopic and myopic-anisometropia counterparts (all P<0.05). The recovery rate for patients aged 3 to 6 years was 86.8% and 48.1% for those aged between 7 and 10 years (P<0.05).

The treatment efficacy in ametropic amblyopia is associated with the severity of amblyopia, type of anisometropia and patient's age. Older patients with more severe amblyopia had poorer treatment efficacy. The efficacy in patients with hyperopic and astigmatic anisometropia was better than that for myopic anisometropia subjects.